


Forget Me Not

by MurkyMuse



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Trials of Apollo - Rick Riordan
Genre: F/M, Gen, M/M, Sibling Fluff, get in the car losers we're going on a quest, pre-Trials of Apollo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-25
Updated: 2016-08-07
Packaged: 2018-06-04 14:10:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 32,457
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6661681
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MurkyMuse/pseuds/MurkyMuse
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After going through literal hell, being captured, and then nearly dying (again) to get the Athena Parthenos halfway across the world, Nico thought he deserved a nice long break from quests. However, about five months after Gaea’s defeat, Hades appears to Nico and Hazel with grave news. Water from the River Lethe has been stolen. It’s up to the children of the Underworld to retrieve it. </p><p>Will is left with a looming sense of dread after a strange dream. Once he learns of the quest for Hades, he becomes determined to accompany Nico and Hazel as the third member of the quest. But will his presence be enough to keep his dream from becoming reality?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue of a Quest (Nico)

**Author's Note:**

> So here I am dipping my toes into another fandom. Hope you all enjoy!

Nico wasn’t entirely sure how he got talked into this. For the past few capture the flag games he had sat out despite everyone – mainly Jason – trying to get him to play. Perhaps it was the rarity of having all five demigod children of the Big Three in Camp at the same time. Or maybe it was that he couldn’t deny the combined force of Jason and Hazel. Either way, Nico was going to play capture the flag.

The teams were clear cut: Percy, Jason, Thalia, Hazel, and himself vs literally everyone else.

“Everyone agree to this plan?” Thalia asked, giving Percy a stern glare.

“I’ll stick to my position”, he groaned in reply.

Everyone else nodded. Jason then flew up into a tree and hung their flag on a bare branch, while Hazel worked her mist-magic to create an illusion. Nico blinked as duplicates of the flag suddenly appeared in another dozen trees.

“You’re good”, Thalia commented.

“If they send Lou Ellen, she’ll see through this.”

“As long as it buys us time.”

“My turn”, Nico grinned as he called forth the fallen souls buried beneath snow and ground. The small army turned to him, eye sockets flickering with ghostly light. “Guard the flag, and follow Hazel’s orders.”

“We’re not outnumbered now.”

“But Annabeth will be expecting the skeleton army.”    

“There’s nothing we can do that she won’t expect.”

“Stop bragging about your girlfriend, Percy. We need to get going.”

Jason smirked at them before taking to the skies. Percy and Thalia left next, both disappearing into the white-covered forest. Finally, his sister turned to him with a warm grin.

“Good luck, Nico.”

“You too, Sis.”

Then Nico sank into the familiar embrace of shadows. He reappeared across the creek in enemy territory and kept to shadows of the trees so he wouldn’t be spotted. Jason appeared just above the bare canopy a few moments later and made a swoop at the opponent team’s flag. However, a shower of arrows from what must have been from the entire Apollo cabin kept him from getting close enough to steal it.

While everyone was still focused on Jason, Thalia rushed out of the forest. Her speed was unnaturally quick like the wind was at her back (and perhaps it was, Jason had mentioned wanting to help his sister with her fear of heights). Electricity sparked off her fingertips as she knocked the two flag guards off their feet. She climbed Zeus’s fist and grabbed the grey flag. Looking down from the boulder, Thalia grimaced and took a deep breath. Then she jumped.

A current of wind cushioned her fall, allowing her to hit the ground running. However, the flag guards were back on their feet and calling for backup. A half dozen grey-eyed Athena kids and a few golden haired Apollo kids soon blocked Thalia’s path.

That is until skeletons rose from the earth and began attacking. The opposing team’s organization was quickly lost in the ensuing scuffle. Nico flashed a grin as he stepped out of the shadows.

Thalia noticed him, an almost predatory thrill dancing across her face. It was the face of a hunter enjoying the chase. Nico briefly wondered if Bianca would have worn a similar expression had she lived as a Hunter long enough but shook off such thoughts. He needed to focus on the game.

Thalia had changed course to meet him, dodging through the bony brawl. She jumped over an Athena boy – Malcom – just as he cut down a skeleton. Nico readied for shadow-travel the moment the flag was passed off to him.

A weight suddenly slammed into his side. Nico was knocked over into the brushes, a flash of pain shooting through his ankle.

“Oh no you don’t!” Annabeth’s voice rang in his ear.

Nico struggled to push her off but it was hard to escape someone invisible. His knuckles flew against what must have been her nose. The hit knocked off her cap, letting him see her steely grey eyes and blood trickling down her face. Before Nico could take advantage of the opening, two of Annabeth’s siblings came to her aid and helped pin him down.

From the corner of his vision, Nico saw Thalia dart off into the woods. He stopped struggling and rested against the frosted ground.

* * *

Team Big Three won in the end. His undead warriors and Jason had kept the other team off Thalia’s tail, allowing her to cross the creek. Percy had managed to hold off the entire Ares cabin in his watery domain, while the rest of his skeleton guards kept a group of Hephaestus kids occupied. Hazel had done her part in keeping their flag out of the hands of some Hermes and Hecate kids that snuck through their lines.

Now Nico stood at the outskirts of the campfire, where the flickering light faded into night. He watched as the campers roasted marshmallows. Annabeth, currently snuggled up to her boyfriend, sported a broken nose courtesy of him. Nico didn’t feel the least bit guilty; after all, he hadn’t come out of their scuffle unscratched either. Clovis was slumped across a bench asleep, while Butch was stuffing marshmallows in his mouth at the encouragement of the Stoll brothers. Cecil and Lou Ellen were reenacting their attempt to steal the flag from Hazel. One of the Apollo kids started singing, a few of her siblings soon joining in. There weren’t many Ares kids since half their cabin was confined to the infirmary. Maybe one day they’d realize fighting the son of Poseidon near water was a terrible idea. Maybe.

“S’more?”

Hazel held out the treat to him with a soft smile and eyes flickering gold in the firelight. Unlike earlier today, his sister was bundled in a jacket much too big for her. Realizing it was Frank’s jacket, Nico snorted.  

“Thanks.”  

Shifting his weight as he reached for the s’more turned out to be a mistake. His ankle protested; and, he lost his balance. However, before he could fall Hazel’s arm looped around his waist and steadied him.

“Nico, are you okay?”

“Sprained ankle”, he shrugged.

“And you haven’t gone to the infirmary.”

“Wi-”, he replied, “They’re busy.”

Her glare reminded him of how Bianca used to sternly stare at him when he refused to listen to her. Sisters were like that he supposed.

“Well, you’re going now.”

Nico didn’t have much of a choice. Hazel was strong and had no problem practically dragging him there. Someone inside must have seen them coming because the door opened as they reached the porch, letting more light pour out into the night. That someone turned out to be Will Solace: the annoying son of Apollo that for some strange reason had made it his personal mission to doctor Nico after the battle with Gaea. His sky blue eyes glanced down Nico as if diagnosing him on sight. Nico tried to hide his limp.

“You hurt your foot”, Will frowned, “You should have come right after the game.”

“He thought you would be too busy”, Hazel answered before Nico had a chance to stop her.

“I’m never too busy”, Will replied, looking mildly offended, “And your brother needs to learn self-preservation.”

Nico rolled his eyes, “I’m standing right here.”

Will ushered them inside and then ran off to get supplies. The injured campers and their visiting friends paid little attention to the new arrivals as Hazel helped settle him on the edge of a cot. Nico kissed her cheek in thanks.

“You two are the most adorable siblings in camp”, Will said as he walked up with bandages and medicine in hand. His grin was annoyingly bright and sunny. “Just don’t tell my siblings I said that.”

“Whatever.”

Will had him prop his foot up on a stool and take off his shoe. Nico tried not to fidget but it was hard not to with warm fingers brushing across his skin. At one point, Will’s sun-kissed hair fell in his very blue eyes and freckled face. Nico pointedly looked at the wall.

“Since you’re here, do you need any more-”

“I’m fine. I still have enough for another few nights, if I need it.”

Will muttered under his breath, “I don’t know if I should be glad or worried that you’re not using it as much as I thought you would…”  

Nico saw no reason to reply so kept quiet. Hazel caught his eye with a sympathetic yet strained smile. Sharing the Hades Cabin whenever she visited meant that she knew better than anyone how Tartarus haunted his dreams. The nightmares were persistent enough that he’d been in a constant state of sleep deprivation until Will had given him medicine to force sleep.

“And done!” Will declared, flashing him another sunny smile, “Keep your weight off that foot and sleep with it propped up for the next two days. Doctor’s orders.”

Nico cracked a thin smile, “Thanks, Solace.”

“Try not to get hurt again, di Angelo.”

Hazel then offered her hand and pulled him up once he took it, “Want to go back to the campfire or our cabin?”

“I want that s’more I never got the chance to eat”, he felt his smile widening. It was a nice feeling. “And then our cabin.”

* * *

Fire burned down his throat, through his veins. The dark, slimy ground beneath his feet pulsed with the heartbeat of this living thing-place. The sharp threats of monsters circled around like vultures waiting for him to fall. Nico took another wary step into hell, while the river of misery echoed in his ears. The wail of a banshee he could not escape.

_Give up. No one cares about you. You scare other demigods. You don’t belong in New Rome. Even your sister left you. For the Hunters and then for a new life._

Nico wanted to give up. To lay down. To curl in on himself. But he couldn’t. He had to find the Doors of Death. For Perc-

_Percy will never love you. Percy doesn’t trust you. Percy hates you._

Nico stumbled to the ground, shards of obsidian digging through his pants and scratching against his knees. It hurt to move. It hurt breathe. He needed a light to cling to, some reason to survive this god forsaken place. The image of curly cinnamon brown hair and warm golden eyes came to mind.

_You’ll fail. You’ll lose her like you lost Bianc-_

“Shut up!”

The scene suddenly shifted. The sky was clear, stars filling the dark in the way only seen far from modern civilization. Red flowers – poppies, Nico recognized – bloomed as far as he could see. A cold presence, comforting in its familiarity, appeared next to him. Nico turned to see the Lord of the Underworld.

“Father?”

While this was much preferable to dreaming about Tartarus, Nico doubted his father had appeared just to interrupt a nightmare.

“Nico, I have a task for you and your sister”, Hades replied as if reading his thoughts, “While I was in Olympus on the Solstice, someone stole water from the River Lethe.”

“Why would someone want Lethe water?”

If Hades heard the tinge of bitterness in Nico’s voice, he didn’t show any response to it.

“I have my suspicions…”, Hades murmured before replying in a louder tone, “It’s dangerous for that water to be in the mortal world. I do not trust anyone but my children to retrieve it.”  

Nico nodded before sitting down, “Right.”

Dream it may be, it was relaxing to be with his father like this. Sure, Nico thought as a yawn escaped him, the field of poppy flowers was a bit strange but it was pleasant.

“Rest. I know you haven’t been getting enough.”

His father’s voice was warmer than usual, lulling Nico with a sense of peacefulness. For this one night at least, he knew that he wouldn’t have to worry about any more nightmares.

* * *

Nico woke with a sudden alertness, the memory of his father’s visit still vivid in his mind. He sat up in bed and fumbled to turn the torch-lamps on. Soft green lit the room just enough for him to see. At the same time, the curtain separating Hazel’s claimed space from the rest of the cabin slid open. His sister peaked out. From her expression, Nico could tell that she’d had a very similar dream-visit from their father.

Nico wasn’t exactly thrilled. After going through literal hell, being captured, and then nearly dying (again) to get the Athena Parthenos halfway across the world, he thought he deserved a nice long break from quests. However, his father was right. It was too dangerous for some unknown to have water from that river.

“Looks like we’re going on a quest.”


	2. Questing 101 (Will)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will is left with a looming sense of dread after a strange dream. Once he learns of the quest for Hades, he becomes determined to accompany Nico and Hazel as the third member of the quest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, look. A very quick updating turn around. It won’t be like this every chapter. XD

The boy was about his age, maybe a year younger. He had dark hair and dark eyes but the brightest smile Will had ever seen (and considering his half-siblings that was saying something). The boy’s hands motioned excitedly as he talked. And he talked a lot: about his sister, about Mythomagic, about Percy, about meeting _Apollo_. Other campers seemed happy to listen and play with him but Will just kicked at the dirt.

It just wasn’t fair that some random kid got to meet his father when Will had never even seen the sun god before. He decided then and there that he wanted nothing to do with the newly arrived demigod.  

Will was getting ready for bed, fighting one of his bothers for space to brush his teeth. Lee’s voice then echoed through the cabin as he told Michael take over for the night.

“The new kid, Nico, ran off after hearing about his sister…I’m going to help look for him.”

A heavy weight settled in the pit of Will’s stomach. A lone demigod was not likely to survive. Suddenly being mean because Nico had met Apollo before him seemed stupid. Will decided then, standing right in front of the bathroom sink, that if he ever saw Nico again he would be nicer. He would be Nico’s friend. It was a promise on the Styx.  

Like a rock disturbing the surface of a pond, the scenery changed. He was in Manhattan, stranded cars and sleeping mortals dotting the landscape. The campers and Artemis’s Hunters clashed with Kronos’s army. However, Will wasn’t paying much attention to the fighting. All his focus was on healing. Who he was healing at the moment he couldn’t say, the faces all blurred together as he poured his all his energy into saving them.

“Will!” A voice – one of his siblings – shrieked in warning but Will knew it was too late. There was no time for him to drag his patient away or even to save himself from the monster’s sword.

A shadow appeared behind the monster. A pitch black sword stabbed it clean through, turning the beast to dust. Before Will could even register what had happened, Nico di Angelo was on the other side of the battlefield.

An abrupt shift had Will in front of Cabin 13 with his hand posed to knock. His limbs were weary and his heart was heavy. The seemingly never ending flow of injured patients. The ones that didn’t make it. That he was suddenly forced to lead his surviving siblings. The aftermath of the battle had been hard on him. Part of him wanted nothing more than to go curl in his bed and just sleep. Even so, Will had made a promise. He took a breath and knocked on the door.

Silence was the only reply. Nico had once again run away.

Will was then sneaking through the forest to sabotage the Roman Camp. Nico appeared through the brush. For a moment, a surge of pure relief flowed through Will. Then he noticed just how bad Nico looked: scraped and beaten with skin ghostly pale and bruise colored shadows under glassy eyes. Gleeson Hedge had given a basic rundown on what had occurred but only now seeing the son of Hades did the reality hit.

Nico had been through literal hell and back. Nico had overstretched his powers. Nico was going to fade into shadows. This time forever.

Will gulped as he ran forward. He couldn’t, wouldn’t let that happen. Yet when he went to grip Nico’s hand all he caught was empty air.

* * *

The first rays of dawn called to Will, stirring him from fretful slumber. He groaned as he sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. All around him, the campers of Cabin 7 were waking. Apollo’s children had the tendency to be early birds. It was just as well that dawn was like an ingrained alarm clock. Will had an infirmary full of patients to check on.

As Will got ready for the day, his mind drifted to the fragmented dream. The cold terror of Nico disappearing into shadows right in front of him still lingered. It didn’t make sense for him to have a dream like that. It hadn’t happened. Nico had stayed solid, survived the battle, and – after some cajoling – gotten the rest he needed to recover.  

Austin opened the curtain to let more light in; and, Will did a double-take. The very demigod on his mind was walking toward the Big House, accompanied by his Roman counterpart. If Apollo’s children were typically morning people, then Hades’ children were all but nocturnal. So it was a little surreal seeing the both of them wide awake and walking with a sense of purpose. The expression Nico wore declared that he was on a mission, if a bit grumpy about it.

Worry and unease bubbled up in Will’s chest. Demigod dreams always meant something. And he just had a dream of all the times Nico had left. A dream of Nico vanishing forever.  

“Kayla, take first shift at the infirmary!”

Will slipped on his tennis shoes and ran out the door, leaving confused siblings in his wake. Nico and Hazel were already inside by the time he reached the Big House. Without missing a beat, Will pushed the door open.

“I want in on whatever quest you’re going on!”

The Underworld siblings and Chiron turned to him, eyes wide with surprise. Chiron got over it first, his expression relaxing. Nico’s dark eyes narrowed as a single word fell from his lips.

“No.”

That blunt rejection stung. Of course, he wouldn’t want Will to come on the quest. Compared to Nico (the son of Hades, the Ghost King, one of three people to have ever made it out of Tartarus alive and the only one to do so alone) and Hazel (the daughter of Pluto, one of the Seven, trained in magic by Hecate), Will was nothing special. His archery skills were subpar and his melee nearly nonexistence. All he could do was heal, which was useful but…not exactly quest worthy.

Still, he wasn’t going to give up on this. Every instinct was screaming at him not to let them go alone. He met Nico’s glare with his own.

“You shouldn’t be leaving on some quest when you’re still injured.”

“Solace, this is Underworld business. You don’t want to get involved.”

The temperature dropped a few degrees as Nico spoke. Unfortunately for Nico, literally no one in the room was affected. Hazel was immune to the death aura. Chiron was far too old and immortal for it to faze him. Will was stubborn and knew a false threat when he saw one. In fact, he found it kind of infuriating. 

“Again with the pushing away, di Angelo? You two need a third member for the quest. I want to help.”

Nico looked as if he was about to argue with that but Chiron interrupted, “Will has a point. It is best to have three heroes on a quest. Especially since we lack knowledge gleaned from the Oracle.”

Will frowned at the reminder of whatever mess was going on with his father but quickly brushed it off. Hazel, who had been watching the exchange with a bemused expression, spoke up then.

“Our father probably wouldn’t appreciate Percy or Jason going on this quest. Frank and Reyna won’t be able to get out of their praetor duties right now. Piper is visiting her father, and Annabeth will be leaving later today to go visit her family as well. Will is our best bet.”

Will shot her a grateful smile, while Nico’s nose flared as he let out an annoyed huff.

“…Fine. Just don’t expect me to hold your hand, Solace.”

“Hey, I may have never been on a quest before but I’ve been through two wars. I can handle it.”

* * *

After working out a few more details with Chiron, the group parted to prepare for their quest. There was no big announcement. The entire situation was, while not exactly secretive, very subdued. Will swung by his cabin’s table for a quick breakfast  and explained the quest to his siblings. Not one seemed surprised by the news.

“I figured something was up when you ran off earlier”, Kayla shrugged, “I guess I’m acting counselor until you’re back?”

“And in charge of the infirmary. Sorry to dump all my responsibilities on you.”

“It’s fine”, she waved off, “Finish your orange juice and go pack.”

“Bossy.”

“Pot and kettle.”

Laughter echoed around the table at that. Will gulped down the rest of his orange juice and then got smothered in hugs. Once he’d untangled from his siblings, he headed off toward the cabin. Half way there Lou Ellen and Cecil jogged up to him.

“Rumor is you’re going on a quest with _di Angelo_ ”, Cecil grinned. His friend’s tone carried an implication that made Will’s cheeks feel warm.

“Oh, shove off. It’s not like that.”

“Mmmhmm, sure it’s not.”

“Now, now. Quests are dangerous”, Lou Ellen said with a smirk, “Not that we have to worry about your safety when your knight-in-shadows is around.”

“Lou, how do you feel about talking in rhymes for a week?”

“Okay, we’ll stop”, she held her hands up in surrender before digging into her pocket, “In all seriousness, I wanted to give you this.”

She pulled what looked like a pink ball of chalk out. It took Will a moment to recognize what it was.

“A pig bomb?” He said as she handed it to him, “That could come in handy. Thanks.”

He gave them both hugs and then wandered inside to pack. First he checked and double-checked that the first aid kit was fully stocked. Then it went into his backpack. A change of clothes, water bottle, a few drachmas and a wad of cash followed. Will grabbed his bow, checking the string, and then his quiver. He stood there a minute and tried to think of anything else he might need. When nothing came to mind, he took a deep breath and walked back outside.

He met up with Nico and Hazel in the shadow of their cabin. Stygian iron and imperial gold swords gleamed at their hips; and, they each had a small pack slung over their shoulders. Nico turned to Will and glanced him up and down. With Cecil and Lou Ellen’s teasing fresh in mind, he couldn’t quite hide his blush.

Will cleared his throat before asking, “So we’re shadow-traveling there?”

Nico raised a brow, “Don’t even start, Solace. You cleared me months ago.”

“I’m not very good at shadow-traveling but I can combine my power with Nico’s”, Hazel explained, “It should only take a few jumps.”  

The three of them grabbed each other’s hands. Nico’s hand was cool against his. While it could have been the fault of winter chill, Will had learned during Nico’s infirmary stay that he had a naturally low body temperature. It seemed to be an Underworld kid thing because, though not as cold as her brother, Hazel’s hand was cooler side of normal body temperature as well.    

“Ready?” Nico asked.

“I guess.”

Darkness suddenly engulfed him. Phantom lights flashed in his eyes as he tried to comprehend what was happening. There was an intense pressure on his body. It felt kind of like a drop on a rollercoaster, except Will actually liked rollercoasters. This rushing through pitch-black was just disorienting. A jolt caused his stomach to turn upside-down and then they were on solid ground again. Will swayed on his feet but Nico quickly steadied him.

“You did that to cross the Atlantic…No wonder you were fading, Death Boy.”

“Don’t call me that”, Nico grimaced, “And sit down. You look like you’re going to be sick.”

After about fifteen minutes, Will decided he was ready for another bout of shadow-traveling. This time he knew what to expect and mentally prepared for it. When they came out of the shadows, Will didn’t nearly collapse.

Unfortunately, Hazel did. Both boys reached out to catch her. Her skin had taken on a greyish tint and her eyes were glossed over.

“I’m not used to shadow-traveling so far”, she mumbled as they helped her sit on the sidewalk. Will set his pack down so he could check her forehead and pulse. She wasn’t feverish, her heartrate was normal, and most importantly she was still very solid. Nico let out a sigh of relief as he told them so.  

“Looks like you’re just tired. A good night’s rest should fix you up.” For the first time since they arrived, Will glanced around. They were in the outskirts of the small town, desert sands stretching out in every direction. Across the street was a rundown gas station. “A snack wouldn’t be a bad idea either. I’ll go grab something for you.”

“Snickers please. And pomegranate juice if they have it?”

“Pomegranate juice?”

“She’s addicted to it”, Nico replied with a roll of his eyes.

Hazel swatted her brother, “Like you’re any better. You finished off my last bottle.”

“Snickers and pomegranate juice it is”, Will said, “Want anything, di Angelo?”

“I’m good.”

Will jogged across the street and entered the gas station, the bell above the door ringing. He grabbed a snickers bar and then three oranges (because he didn’t want to feed a patient just candy; and, Nico really should eat something since Will was pretty sure he’d skipped breakfast). After a few minutes of searching, he also found the requested drink. He got two bottles and considered getting one for himself as well. He’d never tried it before but now he was curious. Or maybe he could ask Nico for a sip to see if he liked it?

His face started burning half a second later. Pomegranates had a certain connotation after all. Asking a child of Hades to share anything pomegranate was, well, awkward.

Before he could finish working through his internal embarrassment, the hairs on the back of his neck suddenly stood up. In the reflection of the glass he could see a figure approaching him. It shifted back and forth from the blurry form of a woman to something more monstrous. Will mentally cursed as his heart pounded in his chest. They’d been outside camp less than an hour and already they were running into monsters. He wondered if all quests were like this or if he was just lucky.

Before the monster lady could reach him, Will darted to the side and knocked over a shelf of chips. He ran for the door as the crash and crinkling resounded through the gas station. However, the monster lady – a woman with two snake tails, a dracanae – sliver-dodged the falling debris and lunged at him like a striking viper. Will was slammed into the shelf behind him.

“How lucky for me”, the dracanae hissed uncomfortably close to his face, “To find a demigod sssnack.”  


	3. A sense of dread (Hazel)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They make it to New Rome but the ominous feeling only gets stronger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter probably won’t be posted until after I read ToA. *crosses fingers that this manages to fit in with canon*

Hazel watched her brother as he watched Will jog across the street. She had noticed how often the son of Apollo came up when Nico Iris messaged her. She’d seen the way her brother tensed and relaxed when Will had wrapped his ankle yesterday. However, it wasn’t until the sight of a subtle smile tugging at Nico’s lips that Hazel realized it. Perhaps it was because she was still wrapping her mind around the fact he was gay. She’d never really been exposed to the concept of attraction to the same sex until her time in New Rome. But, as she assured him last summer, it would be hypocritical of her to disprove when she was in an interracial relationship. Neither of those were accepted when they were from.

Plus what kind of sister would she be if she didn’t support him?

“You have a crush on Will?” She asked.

His head snapped around to look at her, a bright blush spreading across his cheeks. Nico sputtered nonsense until Hazel was doubled over with giggles.

“Hazel!”

“If you’re going to be the flower boy at my wedding”, she said between bursts of laughter, “Then I want to be the ring bearer at yours.”

“You’re worse than Jason”, Nico buried his head in his hands and groaned while she hid the rest of her giggles behind her hand.

That moment of silliness was broken when the gas station windows shattered into pieces. A loud whistling noise cut through the air, making Hazel wince and cover her ears. All the blood drained from Nico’s face as he jumped up and ran across the street. Though she still felt unsteady from shadow-traveling and out of breath from laughter, Hazel scrambled to follow.

With swords drawn, they dashed into the store to find it trashed. Shelfs were knocked over, snacks and sodas scattered on the floor, shards of glass crunching beneath their shoes. Will stood among the mess with his fingers in his mouth. At his feet was a dracaena withering in agony. She clutched at her ears as they bled gold ichor. The snake woman didn’t even have a chance to defend as Nico stalked up and stabbed her.

When the dust settled, Will picked a candy bar off the floor and tossed it to Hazel.

“I got your snickers.”

“Thanks.”

Police sirens sounded in the distance. Nico spat a Greek word she didn’t know but got the general gist of.

“Let’s go.”

“I need to get my bag first”, Will said as he ran out the door. Nico followed after.  

Hazel picked up a small diamond that had popped up by her foot. Even though her curse was broken, she didn’t usually give gems away but this one time seemed fair. She walked over the counter, glancing at the wide-eyed cashier hiding behind it, and placed the diamond next to the register.

“For the damages.”

She then walked out to the boys and took Nico’s outstretched hand. The dark of shadow-travel engulfed them before Hazel was able to pool her power with her brother’s. Nico’s power alone guided them through the shadows.

When light once again hit her eyes, they were on the grassy hill overlooking Camp Jupiter and the walls of New Rome standing in the distance. Hazel felt the tension melt off her shoulders. Camp Half-Blood and Hades cabin were home-away-from-home but this was home.

Will let out a whistle. Thankfully, it was a normal one and not ultrasonic.

“This place really is something.”

“We’ll give you the tour later”, she replied as the three began walking down the hill.

There were some legionaries training near the stables. As they passed by, she could feel the curious and uncertain stares lingering on their backs. She and Nico exchanged a tired look. While it had gotten better since Gaea’s defeat, there were still some people wary of the children of Pluto.

Dakota was the first friendly face they saw. As usual his lips were coated in koolaid red. He blinked at them before giving a lopsided grin, “Hazel! We weren’t expecting you back for another few days.”

“Something came up. We need to talk to Reyna and Frank.”

“They’re meeting with the Oracle right now”, he said.

“That’s perfect”, Will stated.

Dakota gave him a long look, “I don’t think we’ve met?”

“Will Solace, son of Apollo”, he replied, “Your father is Mr. D- Bacchus?”

“What gave it away”, he said as he wiped his mouth with his sleeve, “Well, good luck with whatever new disaster has cropped up.”

He waved and went on his way. She and Nico made a beeline for the principia with Will following behind. His head constantly swiveled around as he took in all the sights. When they made it to the praetor’s office, Reyna and Frank were sitting in their respective chairs. Rachel Dare sat in a chair across from them, papers and books scattered between on the long table. At the sound of the door opening, the three looked around at them.

“Oh, I thought something like this would happen”, Rachel said.

“You had a prophecy?” Will asked as he stepped up.

The Oracle shook her head, “No. That’s been silent. I just had a gut feeling, I guess, that something was happening.”

While they spoke, Frank had scrambled out of his chair. He rushed toward Hazel and picked her up in a tight hug.

“Hazel!”

“I missed you too”, she leaned into his chest. Surrounded by the comfort of her boyfriend’s warmth and scent, Hazel suddenly realized just how exhausted she was. It was very tempting to curl up against him and take a nap. Unfortunately, that idea was vetoed by Reyna clearing her throat. The couple parted, both sporting blushes.  

“Centurion, Ambassador”, Reyna greeted with a smile playing at her lips, “And?”

“This is Will Solace”, Nico said.

Recognition lit up in her eyes, “Oh, the head medic from Camp Half-Blood.”

“You know me?” Will blinked in surprise.

“Of course. You helped stall our Camps from battling long enough for me to return the Athena Parthenos and then healed many of our legionaries”, Reyna replied, “Anyway, what’s going on?”

They all sat around the table, Will fussing at Nico until he propped his sprained ankle up properly, and then explained the situation. As they spoke, Hazel couldn’t help but notice the way Frank’s shoulders tensed and the unease building in his eyes. She gave him a look, silently asking what was wrong. He shook his head in reply. Hazel frowned and decided she’d get out whatever was bothering him later.

“So we were hoping for a prophecy from the Sibylline Books to shed light on this?”

All eyes turned to Rachel. She considered it for a long moment before shaking her head in the negative.

“Sorry, we haven’t recovered any prophecies that sound like this yet. I’ll consult Ella this afternoon. Maybe telling her about what’s happened will spark her memory.”

“Thanks, Rachel.”

“If that doesn’t work, I know of a legacy of Mercury who deals in information exchange. She might have a led for you”, Reyna offered, “We’ll talk more later. I think it’s about lunch time.”

* * *

Hazel managed to eat half her gumbo before succumbing to her heavy eyelids. The sound of chatter filling the room was lulling like a steady rain in the morning. She slumped to the side, her head finding that Frank’s shoulder made a comfortable pillow.

“I heard that Camp Half-Blood’s head medic was here”, a seemingly distant voice said, “Could we get your advice on something?”

“Oh, yeah, sure”, Will responded, “Make sure Death boy here stays off that foot, okay.”

“I’ll keep an eye on him”, Reyna replied. Even with her eyes closed, Hazel could almost see Reyna’s serious expression directed at Nico. After that Hazel’s consciousness drifted completely away.

She dreamed she was in Alaska. The air was chill, her breath fogging as it left her mouth. She was walking through town, which was empty but for crows. The silence weighted heavy on her shoulders as she turned a corner. When the bay came into view, Hazel froze.

Sitting among the waves was an island. It was the island that she had raised the giant Alcyoneus. It was the island that she had sank decades ago. It was the island that she had died in.

She was there again. Trapped in the belly of that phantom island. As the crushing force of earth pressed around her, a stray thought passed through Hazel’s mind: Maybe she was always destined to die in the land beyond the gods.  

Hazel woke with a gasp. Her lungs sucking in air as if she were drowning. Once she calmed her rapidly beating heart, she took note of her surroundings. She was no longer lounging in the dining hall but laying on a couch in Frank’s room with a blanket draped over her. Her brother and boyfriend were sitting across from each other at the table, Mythomagic cards laid out between them. Will was sitting off to the side, half watching the game and half reading some medical book. 

“Six thousand attack power beats your last card”, Nico smirked.

Frank groaned, “One day I will beat you.”  

Nico just snorted.

“How long have you two been playing?” She asked as she slowly sat up.

“An hour or two”, Nico replied with a shrug, “You slept right through dinner.”

“How do you feel?” Will asked as what must have been his ‘doctor’ face slid on.

“I…I’m better”, Hazel said, trying to shove the dream to the back of her mind, “What did I miss? Besides Nico kicking Frank’s butt in Mythomagic again.”

“Will took over the infirmary”, Nico replied as he gathered his game cards.

“I did not!”

“You kind of did”, Frank laughed, “Not that any of our medics were complaining. Half of them have been wanting to work with you again. The rest weren’t at the battle with Gaea.”

“You’re exaggerating”, he huffed.

“Not by much”, Nico shot back with a slightly annoyed look. It made Hazel think that they’d had similar exchanges quite a few times before. Her bother then turned his attention back to answering the original question, “Ella didn’t have any prophecy lines about our quest either. We’ll have to go meet that woman Reyna was talking about in Vancouver.”

“Vancouver…”, Hazel let out a long sigh, “I’m not liking where this is going. I just had a dream about being in Alaska.”

Nico and Frank frowned when she said that, while Will just looked confused again.

“Alaska? The land beyond the gods?”

“Yeah”, she struggled to explain, “It’s…I have history there.”

“We’re going to Canada, not Alaska”, Will said optimistically, “And who knows where we’ll end up once we get information.”

Hazel wanted to believe him but it was so close to Alaska that it made her nervous.

“We’ll figure it out”, Nico stood up, glaring at the crutch beside him but reluctantly picking it up when Will gave him the doctor look, “I’m sure you two want to spend some quality time together but don’t stay up too late, voi piccioncini.”

“N-Nico!”

Her brother then winked at them and hobbled out the door on his crutch. Will followed after with a wave of his hand and an amused grin spread across his face.

Hazel’s cheeks felt so warm that she had to fan herself. Brothers were embarrassing!

She turned to Frank, suddenly very self-conscious that they were alone his room. Frank stared back at her with pinkish cheeks. However, mostly he seemed to radiate unease. His shoulders were tense again and his eyes brimming with worry. Just like earlier today when they’d first arrived.

“Frank, what’s wrong?” She asked, brushing her hand against his.

“Yesterday I had this dream”, he said as he grabbed hold of her hand like she might vanish, “We were in the House of Hades and got separated. But this time I couldn’t find you. You were just…gone.”

“Then I show up here on a quest”, she finished.

Frank nodded, “It feels like that if I don’t go with you, I’ll never see you again.”

“You can’t”, she shook her head, “Reyna and the Camp. They need you here, Frank.”

“I know.”

His eyes glimmered with the confliction of worry and duty and affection. Hazel stood on her tiptoes and gave him a peck on the lips.

“I’ll have Nico and Will watching my back. We’ll be careful.”

Frank leaned down for another kiss, deeper than the first. She sighed into it. Some alone time with her boyfriend wasn’t a bad idea after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> voi piccioncini = you lovebirds in Italian (according to my sources...aka google so if it's wrong please correct me)
> 
> Nico is the captain of the Frazel ship fanclub okay.


	4. Roadtrip (Nico)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s a 14-15 hour drive. And Will won’t stop singing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have read The Hidden Oracle! It was awesome! And I’m happy that with a few minor details of what I had planned added/altered, this fanfic is canon compliant! The biggest issue is that Lou Ellen is in the beginning of the fic but let’s just say that she was visiting over winter break.

The feeling of sparks against his skin was almost unbearable. Nico struggled against the impulse to jerk his foot away from the offending hands.

“Would you stop squirming, Death boy”, Will hissed.

“It’s been two days. My ankle is fine now.”

“That was before you spent all yesterday morning on it.”

“And then I used a crutch to keep my weight off it the rest of the day. Like you told me too.”

“Reluctantly”, Will muttered, “Your ankle is healed but you’ll only sprain it again if you strain it. I’d prefer if you could take it easy for a week.”

Nico rolled his eyes, “Not happening. We’re on a quest.”  

Hazel appeared at the door with a hand on her hip and a knowing smirk on her face, “Are you two going to bicker all day?”

Nico felt heat blooming across his cheeks. His sister just had to figure out his…She’d called it a crush but Nico hadn’t defined it yet. It was different than what he’d felt for Percy. The son of Poseidon had been a hero made reality. Even when that pedestal was broken, Nico had nothing else so he clung to Percy for years. Hero-worship mixed with the confusion of discovering his sexuality and the desperation for some connection after all else was torn away. His infatuation for Percy had been complicated.

But Will was just… _Will_.

The son of Apollo in question let go of his foot and stood up. He grinned sheepishly as he gathered his pack, “Right. We should get going.”

* * *

Reyna gave him a tight hug and then ruffled his hair, “Be careful, Nico.”

He pushed her hand away but couldn’t hide the slight smile on his lips, “I’ll try.”

A few feet away Frank and Hazel were hugging. Even as they pulled away, Frank’s hands lingered like he was reluctant to let go. Meanwhile, Will was talking to Rachel. She had a small duffle bag slung over her shoulder.

“My dad wants me to spend Christmas in New York”, she had explained with a reluctant expression.

After the exchange of goodbyes and good lucks was done, the three left Camp Jupiter through the Caldecott Tunnel. A car, courtesy of New Rome, was waiting for them beside the highway. Nico stepped forward and summoned Jules-Albert. The zombie crawled up from beneath the earth and shambled to the driver’s side.

“I still can’t believe you have a zombie chauffeur.”

“I’m sure dad would you give you a chauffeur too if you wanted.”

“I have Arion.”

“Shotgun!” Will called and slid into the front seat before either Nico or Hazel could react.

Nico blinked, “You want to sit by the zombie?”

“Shotgun gets control of the radio”, Will shrugged, “Plus it’s hard to be bothered by Underworld-y stuff when the son of Hades is a giant dork.”

“Hey!”

Hazel laughed and pushed him toward the backseat. They scooted inside and shut the doors.

“Jules-Albert, no leaving until I hear seatbelts buckling.”

“You can’t order my zombie around, Solace!”

Will turned around in his seat and gave a Look. Capital letter necessary. Nico sighed and buckled his seatbelt, as did Hazel. Only then did Jules-Albert start the car.

As Will scanned through radio stations, Nico couldn’t help but think of the casual way Will stated that he wasn’t bothered by ‘Underworld-y stuff’. But then the son of Apollo had always been a strange one. Will looked Nico in the eye no matter what creepy stunts he pulled. Will was one of the few to reach out to him after the Titan War. At the time, Nico had thought it was out of a sense of gratitude or perhaps pity that would quickly fade. Nico knew better now. Will had made it very clear from the moment they’d stumbled across each other during the battle with Gaea that he genuinely wanted to be friends. It just took a month or so to really sink in.

Will finally decided on a station. Some pop song Nico didn’t recognize was playing. The son of Apollo did know it and happily sang along. Despite what Will said about not being gifted with Apollo’s musical abilities, Nico thought he had a nice voice.

Hazel turned to him with another knowing smirk. Nico sank in his seat and looked out the window.

* * *

As nice as Will’s voice was, there was a limit to how long Nico could stand listening to the son of Apollo belt out song after song after song. That limit had been crossed about an hour ago. Commercial breaks were a mercy. But eventually it was over and Will started into yet another catchy pop song about teenage love or something. They’d rotated through pop, Christmas, rock, Christmas, country, Christmas, and were now back to pop music. Nico wanted to scream or maybe throw one of the gems that had appeared next to Hazel at him.

Hazel looked like she was considering the same. She also looked a little queasy.

“You okay, sis?”

“Just feeling a little motion-sick”, she replied, trying to hide a grimace, “It’s not as bad as being on the Argo two.”

“Pull off at the next exit with a McDonalds”, Nico ordered.

Jules-Albert grunted in reply. They were in luck because after two exits a McDonald’s sign came into sight. The moment the car was parked all three of them jumped out. Nico stretched his arms and then adjusted his sword.

They left Jules-Albert with the car and wandered inside. For the late afternoon, the place was almost empty. There was a woman with two young kids and an elderly man sitting in a corner booth. Christmas decorations hung on the walls. A bored looking cashier took their orders.

They settled at a table by the window, right near the door. Apparently they were all hungrier than they realized because they were so focused on eating that they didn’t talk. Nico had just stuffed his last fry in his mouth when the door opened again. A lanky man in a shaggy coat walked in and glanced around. Red eyes fell on Nico as a wolfish grin spread across the man’s face.

Nico’s battle senses jumped into high gear. In one smooth motion he stood up and drew his sword.

“Oh, you recognized me so quick. Where’s the fun in that?”

Hazel was beside him with her sword drawn as well. Will stood a little behind them, notching an arrow.

“I know what you are but not who.”

The man’s grin got wider like a dog baring its fangs, “Lycros.”

“One of Lycaon’s fifty sons”, Hazel said.

“Out for revenge then?”

“I’m more of a helping hand to someone that does seek vengeance.”

As he spoke, Lycos shifted into half-wolf half-man. His coat became fur, his face elongated, his nails grew into claws. With red eyes gleaming, the werewolf lunged. Nico blocked with his sword just in time. Lycos’s claws were inches from impaling him.

While Nico struggled against Lycros’s strength, he saw Will ushering the mortals out the building from the corner of his eye. At the same time Hazel stepped forward and stabbed Lycros in the side. The werewolf stumbled back but already the wound was closing.

“You can’t hurt me with Imperial Gold.”

A snarl resounded from outside; followed by the sickening sounds of a body hitting concrete and screaming.

“Go help Will! I’ll handle this one!” Hazel yelled.

Nico ran for the door. The mortals were across the parking lot, white faced. Nico followed the direction of their stare. His heart froze at the sight. Will sprawled unconscious on the ground, blood pooling around his head. Another werewolf stood over him. Will had put an arrow in its shoulder but that had only enraged it. Now the werewolf was a mere second away from striking the final blow.

Nico didn’t let that happen. Tendrils of a dark energy rolled off his skin and lashed out. The hedge bushes next to him withered. The ground rumbled. Skeletons rose up from beneath and grabbed the werewolf. The beast swiped at the bones and crushed them to get free. However, by the time it escaped, Nico stood between it and Will.

The two traded blows. Nico danced just out of reach from its claws. The werewolf didn’t even bother to dodge as Nico slashed at its shoulder. Nico hissed out a curse.  His Stygian sword did nothing to it. He needed silver.

There was a flash of curly cinnamon hair as Hazel leapt at it from behind. The werewolf let out a pained howl before collapsing into dust. His sister stood in front of him with jacket sleeve torn and thin scratch marks arching down her arm like she’s barely avoided a hit. A silver dagger was clutched in her hands.

Hazel must have seen the question on his face because she answered, “I was trying to pull anything silver from the earth and this showed up.”

That was a good enough explanation for him.

Nico then scrambled around and bent down at Will’s side. His skin was eerily pale and the blood repulsively bright. Will wasn’t near death (yet), that much the son of Hades could sense. He let out a small breath of relief and carefully shifted Will to find the injury. His head had slammed into a small rock at just the right (wrong) angle. Ignoring how bloody it was – because head injuries always bled the worst – it didn’t seem like that bad of a cut.

The problem was that Will was unconscious.

“Come on, Solace. Wake up.”

Nico didn’t often pray to gods other than his father but right then he prayed to Apollo. It didn’t matter that the sun god had been missing for months. Apollo was the god of healing and Will was his son! The god should do something!

“Nico, here.”

Hazel handed over some ambrosia from the first aid kit. He hadn’t even noticed her leave to get it.

His hands were shaking a little as he forced the ambrosia into Will’s mouth. Hazel and him then worked together to clean and bandage the wound. It wasn’t near as good as if Will or any another medic had done it but it would have to do. By the time they were finished, Will’s eyes – blue as the summer sky on a clear day – fluttered open.

“Oh gods it’s bright.”

“Will!”

Will winced, “Not so loud…my ears are ringing…Skata…concussion.”

“We need to get moving before more monsters show up”, Hazel said, her voice low and gentle, “Can you move?”

“I…think.”

Nico helped him stand. Will swayed on his feet and would have fallen back down if Nico didn’t have such quick reflexes. He ended up half carrying Will to the car. It wasn’t an easy task with how much taller Will was than him.

“Okay, so concussion. What do you need?”

“You already gave me ambrosia?”

“Yeah.”

“Then sleep. Sleep is good. Just wake me up every two hours.”

* * *

As they continued the drive, the air was silent and heavy. Will’s singing may have been annoying him earlier but now Nico missed it. Lying across the seat with his head in Nico’s lap, Will was too quiet and too still. This was why he hadn’t wanted Will to come on the quest with them at first. Will could handle himself but at the same time the son of Apollo was not a frontline fighter. And this was a quest for Hades; there was no telling what kind of monsters they’d end up facing.

He almost wanted to be mad at Will for running off without him or Hazel but the sons of Lycaon had a taste for human flesh. Will had probably saved the lives of those mortals by leading them out and fighting the second werewolf.    

In the scenery rushing past, the sky glowed redish-orange as the sun began to set. Hazel twisted around to look at him.

“What do you think Lycros meant when he said he was helping someone get revenge?”

“If it wasn’t for Lycaon…”, Nico replied as he unconsciously brushed his fingers through Will’s mop of golden-blond hair, “…I don’t like the idea I’m getting.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hazel was MVP. She also did mist-magic stuff to handle the civilians while Nico was focused on Will.
> 
> Also Skata = Shit in Greek (or so my search through internet translations tell me)


	5. Recovery (Will)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As they make their way to Vancouver, Will recovers from the concussion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s my birthday and I’ll update fic if I want to, update fic if I want to~

Will felt like he was floating. The room was dark and empty like a bare warehouse. The only light source was from the frosted glass window of an office door. Voices sounded out of the room, low and garbled. Will had to strain his hearing to understand what they were saying.

“And the wild card?”

“Lycros and Lycuis failed to kill him”, a second man answered.

“Useless wolves! The children of Hades”, the first spat out the name like a curse, “Were supposed to come alone.”

“I’m sure if Hades knew what you were really after, he wouldn’t have sent his children at all.”

“True enough…I’ll have our friend deal with this son of Apollo.”

Will realized then that he was the wild card they’d mentioned. Why did this man consider him a threat? What did he even want with Nico and Hazel? He clearly despised the Lord of the Underworld… Will really did not like the sound of this. He needed to find out-

“-olace.”

Something poked him. Repeatedly.

“Wake up.”

Will groaned. His head hurt. There was a faint ringing in his ears. He couldn’t recall exactly why.

“Will.”

He blinked his eyes open and saw the face of an angel hovering over him. Dark messy hair framed pale olive skin. Eyes, like sweet tea that’s ice had melted leaving it watery and almost colorless, stared down at him. Lips that were chapped yet soft looking tugged into a worried frown.

With an angelic face like that, Nico di Angelo was such a fitting name.

“….Okay. I think you need to go to a hospital now.”

Wait, what?

Horror seeped in his skin as panic cleared his muddled mind.

“I said that out loud…?”

Nico glanced out the window, a bright red blush visible by the light of passing cars. That was all the answer Will needed. He considered sitting up and putting as much space as between them as possible. Maybe that would make this less awkward. However, he still felt a little dizzy and nauseous. Sitting up would not be a good idea. That Nico settled his hand back on Will’s hair was more incentive not to move.

Aphrodite help him, Lou Ellen and Cecil were right. He had it bad. Really, really bad.

Okay, so Will knew he’d been crushing on the son of Hades for a while. But for the life of him, he could not place when it had happened. During the battle with Gaea? Between the time Nico left camp and then came back? Had he been pining? Had he fallen for Nico during the Titan War?

Will had no idea. The shift from wanting to his friend to wanting to be his boyfriend had been so gradual, so subtle that Will didn’t even notice until Lou Ellen mentioned it a week or so after the end of the Giant War.

“Can you remember what happened?” Nico asked, pulling him out of his thoughts.

Will pushed past his headache and strained to remember.

_They were eating at a McDonald’s. The door opened and a lanky man walked in. Will didn’t think much of it until Nico stood up, drawing his black sword. It was then that Will noticed the man’s eerie red eyes._

_“Oh, you recognized me so quick. Where’s the fun in that?”_

_Will drew his bow and notched an arrow as he stood up._

_“I know what you are but not who”, Nico had replied._

_The man’s grin got wider like a dog baring its fangs, “Lycros.”_

_“One of Lycaon’s fifty sons”, Hazel said._

_“Out for revenge then?” Nico asked, the air around him chilling._

_“I’m more of a helping hand to someone that does seek vengeance.”_

_As he spoke, Lycos shifted into half-wolf half-man. His coat became fur, his face elongated, his nails grew into claws. With red eyes gleaming, the werewolf lunged at Nico. The son of Hades blocked. Hazel moved forward to help him._

_In close melee like this, Will did not trust his aim. He might hit Nico or Hazel. He tried to think how he could help. A whimper caught his attention. The mortals were watching wide-eyed. Will wasn’t sure how the mist was making this look but the two kids were terrified._

_“Everyone get out!” He shouted. That seemed to snap them out of shock, and they all rushed for the door. Will followed after, intent on making sure they got away safely._

_The moment he stepped out the door he cursed. Of course. There was a second werewolf._

_He shot his arrow and hit it in the shoulder. Glowing red eyes turned on him as it snarled and charged. Realizing his arrows were useless, Will dropped his bow and raised his fingers to his mouth. However, the beast was too fast. Before he got the chance to whistle, it swatted him away._

_For a brief moment Will felt weightless. There was screaming but he couldn’t tell if it was him or the mortals. Then there was a sharp flash of pain before everything went black._

“McDonald’s. Werewolves. Concussion.”

Will let out a low groan. He had been so useless in that fight. Will joined the quest because he wanted to help yet he’d only been a hindrance. First getting cornered by the dracaena and then nearly getting killed by a werewolf.

Something tugged at his memory. He’d had a dream of being in a warehouse and overhearing a conversation. Realization struck like Zeus had hit him with a lightning bolt.

“I was their target. The dracaena too, I bet.”

“What?!”

Will winced at the sudden increase in volume. Hazel twisted in the front seat until her head bobbled over the chair.

“They were after you?”

He nodded, “I dreamed I overheard a conversation…I think one of the people is the one stole from the Lethe. He keep saying that you two were supposed to come alone and was mad Lycaon’s sons didn’t kill me because I’m a wild card to whatever his plan is.”

“Lycros said he was helping someone get revenge.”

“Whoever that man in my dream was, he hates Hades.”

Nico and Hazel exchanged dark looks at that. His statement had just confirmed their suspicions.

“Our father has us hunting down someone who hates him. There’s no way this could go wrong.”

Even suffering from a concussion, there was no way Will could miss the sarcasm dripping from Nico’s voice.  

* * *

The good thing about having an undead chauffeur was that he could keep driving without rest. Their northward trip continued straight through the night. Will slept on and off, while Nico and Hazel took turns staying up to wake him every couple hours. The rest of his dreams were fuzzy and unclear but blissfully mundane.

When the early morning sun lit the clouds purple and pink, Will woke up without prompting. The headache was gone, his ears had stopped ringing, and his mind felt clear again. The ambrosia and rest had done its job.

Will sat up slowly, almost reluctantly (really, when was he ever going to get the chance to use Nico as a pillow like that again?). Both Nico and Hazel were still asleep. Hazel was a lump in the front seat, buried in her torn jacket with tuffs of curly hair sticking out. As for Nico, his forehead was pressed against the window. In the dawn light he seemed paler, almost like he was waning. 

Will reached over and grabbed his hand, careful to not wake him. He frowned at the sensation of flickering shadows. While Nico wasn’t in danger of fading yet, his stamina hadn’t fully recovered from the summer. Shadow-traveling across the country had pushed the son of Hades more than he’d let on.  

“Jules-Albert, can we stop somewhere for breakfast?”

Despite the fact he’d be a little talkative with the zombie, Will wasn’t sure if Jules-Albert understood or would listen to him. However, ten minutes later they ended up parked in front of a waffle shop.

“Rise and shine!”

Nico turned away from Will muttering something about “stupid morning people” under his breath. Hazel peaked her head up and glared at him before burrowing again. It was so unlike the usual Hazel he’d interacted with that Will felt a little intimidated. 

Just not enough to let them have their way.  

“We haven’t had anything to eat since McDonalds. Can’t quest on an empty stomach.”

“Fine”, Nico groaned and sat up straight. His eyes had a broken and haunted look that meant nightmares of Tartarus. Will reached out and lightly squeezed his shoulder. Nico shook his head and pulled away.

Nico had better success at rousing Hazel. She didn’t look like she wanted to murder him for waking her.

Getting out of the car was a relief for all of them. As they stretched their limbs, Will noted the bandage wrapped around Hazel’s arm and her grimace when she moved it.

“Let me take a look at your arm.”

Will grabbed the first aid kit and got to work. Compared to Nico’s run in with werewolf claws last summer, Hazel’s scratches were shallow and not infected. Once he’d cleaned the wounds, Will softly hummed a hymn. By the time he’d finished, the scratches were well on the way to being fully healed.

“That feels much better”, Hazel said as she moved her arm, testing her range of motion, “Thanks.”    

With that taken care of, they went inside for breakfast. This time there were no monster interruptions.

For some reason that made Will nervous.

* * *

They arrived in Vancouver around noon. It took another hour to find the address of Vivian Cobbler. The woman’s office was in the corner of a shared building. A sign reading ‘Cobbler Consulting and Private Investigations’ hung above the door. As the three demigods walked in, Will felt a little like he was walking into an old film noir movie. Except instead a hardboiled detective sitting at the desk, there was a woman somewhere in her late twenties with bangs dyed electric blue and sharp eyes.

“Demigods, huh”, she said while chewing gum.  

Hazel stepped forward and pulled a letter from her pocket, “We have a letter of introduction.”

“Good ol’ Camp Jupiter.”

She took the letter and quickly skimmed through before setting it aside. Her palms pressed the table as she stared at them one-by-one.

“Alright then. Tell me what you’re after.”

Vivian frowned as she leaned back in her chair while they explained their mission. 

“Well, I have good news and bad news for you kids”, Vivian said once they’d finished, “The good news is I do know where the Lethe water is being stored right now. The bad news is that I’ve been bribed and threatened to keep that little fact to myself. If you want me to tell you anymore, you’ll need to offer me something better.”

“Something better?” Nico asked, “Like what?”

“I collect rare artifacts. For example, Stygian iron is near impossible to come by.”

“My sword isn’t up for bargaining.”

Vivian laughed, “It was an example. In fact, I already have a Stygian dagger.”

“Then what do you want?” Hazel asked.

Her sharp eyes turned Will as a sly smile slid across her face.

“Perhaps this is fate.”

“You’re too old for me. And I don’t swing straight.”

She laughed again, “Not what I meant. You see, a few years ago I acquired a Tear of the Heliades. Amber produced by the grief of Helios’ daughters after their brother, Phaethon, crashed the sun chariot and died.”

Will frowned, “I know the story.”

She gave him a chiding look for interrupting.  

“The amber never made it to me. The plane crashed over the mountain north of here. I can’t get it myself. The Tears of the Heliades can only be directly touched by children of the sun.”

All eyes turned to Will.

“Son of Apollo, if you find and retrieve that for me then I’ll tell you what I know of the stolen Lethe waters.”


	6. Tears of the sun (Will)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will suddenly understood why only children of the sun god could touch the Tears of the Heliades.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here’s the next chapter! It was a little tricky to write because, well, you’ll see.

Vivian Cobbler stared at Will, waiting for a reply. Will already knew he would do it. He was about to say so when Nico interrupted.

“You just admitted that you’ve been bribed and threatened. How can we trust this isn’t a trap?”

“I suppose you can’t. I could tell you all about how I hate being threatened and hope you kill-”, she paused as if trying and failing to spit out a name, “-the bastard. But the truth is you can’t trust me at face value.”

Maybe he was overly optimistic but Will wanted to trust her. He wasn’t sure if he did but he wanted to.

“It’s not like we have any other leads”, he said.

Hazel nodded grimly. Nico scowled but didn’t argue. With that was settled, Vivian pulled out a map and marked the area that the plan had crashed. She also told them about the area before sending them off.  

As they walked out of the building, Will could feel Nico staring at him.

“What?”

“It’s nothing”, Nico shrugged, “I’m just always surprised whenever someone’s so open about being…”

Will understood what the son of Hades was getting at but unable to say. So he filled in the blank.

“Gay. Homosexual. Attracted to the same sex.”

Nico nodded.

Will’s sexuality was common knowledge at camp. It had been since one of the Aphrodite girls asked him out and he’d turned her down. Her brother had hit on Will immediately after hearing why.

Rumor of Nico’s former crush on Percy Jackson had spread around camp too. Whenever asked about it, Nico confirmed it but it was obvious he didn’t like talking about it. Or his sexuality in general. Hang ups from living the first decade of his life in the 1930s, Will guessed.

That was one of the reasons Will didn’t want to pursue his crush. Along with the fact that Nico was still recovering from Tartarus and his capture by Gaea’s forces. He was just getting used to having friends and being a friend. Will wasn’t about to risk all progress Nico made these past months because he wanted to be more than friends. Will knew he was stubborn and pushy at times. However, chasing after someone who shied away from relationships never ended well. Sometimes they turned into trees.

Now if Nico ever made the first move…

Will shook that thought out of his head. There were more important things to focus on. Like finding the Tear of the Heliades so they could get information on the Lethe water. Quests were apparently complicated.

“We need to find a way to the valley”, he said.  

“I can just shadow-travel us.”

Will turned to him, “No. You’re not relapsing on me.”

“I won’t relapse”, Nico replied.

“Because you won’t be shadow-traveling.”

Nico glared at him. Will glared back.

“Then I’ll shadow-travel us there”, Hazel offered, interrupting the silent contest of wills.

Will looked at her. Hazel had dark bags under her eyes and her skin still had a faint grey undertone. He suspected that shadow-traveling all three of them would put her in a position nearly as dangerous as her brother’s. The last thing he wanted was two children of the Underworld suffering from a case of shadow fading.

“Let’s save the shadow-traveling for emergencies. We can hike.”

Nico gave his sister an exasperated glance that probably translated to: _see what I have to deal with_.

* * *

After a quick side stop for supplies and a new jacket for Hazel, they drove to the nature preserve’s visitor center. Then they were trekking through the woods toward the valley, snow crunching beneath their feet.

Trouble found them a few hours into the hike. The only warning was the shaking of the forest canopy. A panther-like creature with wings swooped down at Hazel. She reacted just in time, rolling to the side before its claws could grab her. Nico moved quick and managed to strike it.

“Gryphons”, Hazel muttered and let out a string of what Will assumed were Latin curses, “Be ready. They hunt in packs.”

Will pulled an arrow from his quiver and notched it as he scanned the tree tops. Four more swooped down. Will let his arrow fly, striking one.

“Hazel! Distraction!” Nico yelled.

“Already on it!”

Will couldn’t recall much about gryphons at the moment so he wasn’t sure what they were planning. However, his role was clear. He shot arrow after arrow at the monsters. Some he took down; others dodged. When any got too close, Nico was there with his dark blade. Together they kept the gryphons at bay.  

A bright sheen caught Will’s attention for the corner of his eye. Hovering mid-air around Hazel was bits of aluminum, enough gold nuggets to make any Forty-Niner excited, and a few gemstones. The gryphons were entranced, staring at the items like cats hunting their favorite toys.

With a flick of her wrist, Hazel sent all the metal and gems soaring away from them. The gryphons bolted after.

“Run!”

Will didn’t need to be told twice. The three of them high tailed it out of there. Only when they were certain more gryphons wouldn’t attack did they stop to rest. Will slipped the water canteen from his pack and passed it around.

“How far?”

Hazel spread the map out, “We’re about half a mile from where the plane crashed.”

Once they’d all caught their breath and hydrated, they set out again. As they got closer to the site, the air became warmer and the plants a lush green. It was like summer in this one area of the valley. Will shed his ski jacket; Hazel soon followed suit. Nico, however, was the type of person to wear his jacket until he risked overheating so the bomber coat stayed on.

Finally they spotted scraps of rusted and overgrown metal that had once been a plane scattered about in a clearing. A small creek flowed through the center. From the creek shone a brilliant light. It was like one of the stars had fallen from the sky and settled in the streambed; a miniature sun exclusive to this patch of forest.

“Tear of the Heliades”, Will breathed out.

He could feel the power radiating from the amber. Not just as the literal glow but a strange sense of recognition. The little light in his chest that radiated warmth and power whenever he used his healing abilities responded to it.

_“A child of the sun god. Like us.”_

“This place has a strong sense of death”, Nico spoke but his voice sounded distant.

“I feel it too”, Hazel added.

_“Son of the sun god. Our brother.”_

“Will?”

“It’s talking to me…”, he shook his head. Why did it feel like he’d stuffed cotton in his ears? “I just have to grab it.”

“Be careful”, Hazel replied.

Will walked toward the amber’s light. As he got closer, something crunched beneath his shoes. Glancing down, he realized it was bones. All around them were bones cloaked in greenery, both animal and human. Will could handle many gruesome sights. He had to in order to be an effective healer. And he could honestly say skeletons didn’t bother him. However, this was just unnerving.

Will pushed past the feeling of wrongness and stepped into the creek. The amber was no bigger than a tear drop. If it wasn’t for the glow, Will wouldn’t be able to tell it apart from all the pebbles. He reached his hand down into the stream. Despite feeling cool against his skin, the water bubbled and hissed like it was boiling. The second he grasped the amber, a shock jolted through him. Voices and images spun through his head.

_“Phaethon.”_

_There was a shining chariot flying across the sky. A boy he recognized yet didn’t at the reigns._

_“Our brother.”_

_The boy lost control of the chariot. Plants withered and fire sparked across the hills. A clap of thunder echoed as lightning struck. The chariot tumbled downward and crashed into the river._

_“Our poor brother.”_

Will felt like he’s been punched in the gut. Like his lungs were on fire. Like a wave was crushing down on him. Like the earth was falling from beneath his feet.

On one level he saw Nico’s silhouette – dark against the brightness that was flooding the grove – rushing forward.

“Will, drop it! It’s cursed by Penthos!”

Hazel’s shadow caught her brother’s arms. Her voice was strained by fear, “Nico! You can’t get any closer! You’ll-”

On another level, Will was plunged back into the Battle of Manhattan. Back on the Williamsburg Bridge. Michael’s voice rang above the chaos, shouting out orders. Will’s aim wasn’t as true as his siblings but there were so many monsters – dracaena and hellhounds and the Minotaur – that it didn’t matter. In fact, there were too many monsters for them to handle. Soon they were retreating.

“Will, move the civilians to safety and then start patching the injured up”, Michael had told him.  

Will wanted to keep fighting. He wanted to protect his siblings, his friends, the city, and Olympus. (Deeper down he thought that maybe if he fought hard enough then his father would notice him.) It must have shown on his face because Michael gripped his shoulders.

“You are our best healer. Your greatest battle is against death, fought across the wounded and weary bodies of soldiers.”

“Is now really the time to be poetic?”

Michael grinned at him a moment before the shadow of a pegasus flew overhead. Their reinforcements had arrived.

“You’re in charge of behind the defensive line.”

Michael then ran farther down the bridge to meet with Percy and Annabeth. Will went opposite direction, organizing some of his siblings to pull all sleeping civilians out of their cars and away from the bridge. He didn’t have time to spare more than the occasional glance at the battle.

Suddenly the rest his siblings were running like the Titan lord himself was on their heels. Which, of course, Kronos was.

Through the chaos, Will saw his older brother perched up on one of the suspension cables. Then vibrations like an earthquake nearly knocked Will off his feet. A geyser erupted in the middle of the bridge and splintered it in half.  

When he looked up again, Michael was gone.

_“Our brother.”_

_“Our poor brother.”_

As Percy had walked toward them, grim and grey faced, Will realized he couldn’t mourn. Not then. Not when – at the ripe old age of almost thirteen – he was suddenly the eldest and most experienced of his siblings. Not when his greatest battle was on the horizon.

Now though, grief hit like a tsunami. His heart lodged in his throat. It hurt to breath. It hurt to exist.

“Let it go! The Heliades died from grief! Their tears are cursed by Penthos, the daimon of mourning and lamentation!”

It hurt so much that death seemed like a mercy.

_“No, our brother.”_

_“Our poor brother.”_

A girl made from light shimmered in front of him. She reminded him a little of Kayla, though he couldn’t say why when they looked so different. She reached out to him; and, fingers that held the warmth of sunbeams brushed across his tear stained face.

_“Don’t die…”_

Will gasped for air as if just remembering how to breathe. A heavy weight lifted off of him, leaving Will feeling hollow and frayed. He blinked as the grove swam back into his vision. Nico and Hazel stood a few yards away. Both were grey-faced. Hazel was still clutching her brother’s arm.

Will suddenly understood why only children of the sun god could touch the Tears of the Heliades. All the bones in the grove were from people and creatures that had stumbled too close and literally mourned to death. However, whatever remnant of the Heliades remained within the amber considered all children of the sun as siblings. They could not let Will die from their curse.

“Will?” Nico’s voice sounded raw.

The amber’s glow had dimmed like it was a child that had cried itself into exhaustion. Will stuffed it into the depths of his pocket and tried to ignore how shaky his hands were.

“I-I’m okay.”

“No, you’re not.”

Will’s shoulders sagged; and, he stumbled to his knees. Nico and Hazel were by his side in an instant. Hesitant arms encircled Will.

“You know…You can talk to me about it- them, if you want. You don’t have to be the composed cabin counselor all the time.”

Will pressed his forehead against Nico’s shoulder. He couldn’t quite remember the last time someone comforted him.

“I’m not. I freak out sometimes.”

“Like after delivering satyr babies.” Nico’s smirk was tangible in his tone.

“Shut up, Death boy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now I'm done being mean to Will. (Just Will...Hazel and Nico's turn is coming...)


	7. Sprung Trap (Hazel)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You shouldn’t go. It’s a trap. I don’t know what he wants with you two but this entire thing was all a trap.”
> 
> “Doesn’t matter. I’m going.”

That moment when Will picked up the Tear of the Heliades was one of the most terrifying of Hazel’s lives. Anxiety, dread, anger. All the emotions she’d felt half a year ago when Nico had been captured by Gaia’s forces surged up. It was almost like reliving it all over again. 

“Will, drop it! It’s cursed by Penthos!” Nico yelled out.

Hazel recognized the name. Penthos was the Greek name of Luctus: the spirit of grief, lamentation, and mourning. Understanding of the tear’s power dawned in Hazel’s mind. Her fear intensified as she realized that Nico, having truly lost a sibling, felt the impacts of the amber far stronger than her. If he got too close, he’d be unable to escape its grip.

“Nico! You can’t get any closer! You’ll-”

She reached out and clung to his arm. Nico struggled against her as he continued yelling at Will to drop the amber but she refused to let him step closer. Hazel would not lose her brother because of some cursed tear!

Only when the amber’s light faded to a dim glow did she let Nico go. Will looked terrible. His calm demeanor shattered as tears streaked down his cheeks. His entire body was shaking.

“I-I’m okay.”

“No, you’re not”, Nico replied in a raspy whisper.

Will fell then. They ran to his side. Hazel didn’t know Will well enough so she just sat there with a hand on his shoulder in silent support. Nico awkwardly hugged him and spoke to him in a low voice. Hazel tried not to listen to their conversation. It seemed invasive.

It wasn’t too long until Will was back up on his feet. Hazel thought he must be very resilient. 

“We should get it back”, Will said.

“I’ll just shadow-travel us.”

“What part of ‘shadow-traveling for emergencies only’ don’t you get?”

Hazel leaned against a tree and watched the argument unfold. Partly because of how hard it was to get a word in when they really got into it. But mostly because it was like watching an intense tennis match.

“Do you really want to stumble through gryphon infested mountains at night? In winter?” Nico swung out his hand in a wide arch, motioning to the snow and ice at the edges of the clearing.

“That’s a good point”, Hazel said.

The sun was setting and with it the temperature was plummeting. The risk of losing their way or getting hypothermia would only increase the darker it got. By the expression on his face, Hazel could tell Will knew it too.

“…By the time we’re done with this quest, you’re not going to be able to shadow-travel without fainting afterwards for months.”  

Nico rolled his eyes, “I’ll be fine. Let’s go.”

He held his hands out. Hazel took one, while Will held the other. Then together Hazel and Nico called on the shadows of their birthright.

They stepped out from the shadow of a building a block from Vivian Cobbler’s office. Nico stumbled forward but Will gripped his shoulders to steady him. Hazel felt a little dizzy and placed her hand on the brick wall for balance.

“You two need to rest a bit”, Will said. There was an unspoken ‘I told you so’ buried in his tone.

“So do you, Solace.”

“We all need rest after that.”

They ended up in a sandwich Deli a few blocks away. After ordering, they picked a corner booth with a clear path to the emergency exit. Despite the warm atmosphere and cheerful Christmas carols playing from the radio, the air hovering over their table was heavy. Hazel’s sandwich tasted bland. Nico only ate half of his sandwich before resting his head against the wall. Even Will’s sunny disposition was dimmed; his eyes clouded by being lost in thought. Perhaps the Tear of the Heliades in his pocket was still affecting them.

A sudden strange sensation almost made Hazel drop her food. It was like something had been ripped away? No. Someone, someone important had been wrongfully displaced.

Hazel turned to her brother for confirmation. Nico was now sitting upright. His eyes, which had looked like broken glass ever since Tartarus and his capture, were burning with cold flames.

Will sensed the sudden change and snapped to attention. “What happened?”

“Someone just summoned a ghost”, Nico explained, “We need to talk to Vivian Cobbler now.”

Hazel was already throwing her trash away and walking out the door. Nico and Will rushed after her.

“What does this have to do with the quest?” Will questioned.

Hazel took a deep breath before answering.

“The ghost is Marie Levesque. My mother.”

* * *

Hazel pushed the office door open and stomped into the building. Nico was right at her heels with a scowl on his face. The temperature immediately dropped to match the winter chill outside. Vivian’s eyes darted between them before settling on Will.

“Did you bring the Tear?”

Hazel told her some very colorful things in a mix of Latin and Creole French. Nico’s hand settled on her shoulder, interrupting her flow of curses.

“Was retrieving that just a way to distract us?”

Vivian paled.

“Put the Tear in that case and I’ll explain”, she said, pointing to a glass box on her desk.

Will frowned as he pulled the amber from his pocket and placed in the box. Once the lid was sealed, the lingering sorrow in the air vanished. Hazel and Nico’s chilling ire did not.

“Explain”, Hazel demanded.

Vivian sighed and rubbed her temples like she had a headache.

“I warned you not to take me at face-value. He ordered me to distract you.”

“Who?” Nico hissed.

Vivian’s lips quivered. “I don’t know! I can’t remember!”

Hazel’s anger dulled ever so slightly.

“This man used Lethe water on you. To force you to work against us.”

She nodded slowly, “I deal in information. I can’t afford to forget anything.”

“What do you remember?” Hazel asked.

“Only what he wanted you to learn”, Vivian replied, “The Lethe water is in a sailing yacht at the harbor, Anne’s Revenge II.”

“Anne’s Revenge?” Nico murmured.

“You shouldn’t go. It’s a trap. I don’t know what he wants with you two but this entire thing was all a trap.”

“Doesn’t matter. I’m going.”

Vivian looked Hazel in the eyes. “Why he had me distract you. The bait.”

Hazel’s chest tightened. She could not leave her mother’s spirit in the hands of…whoever this person was.

Her brother walked up to her side and placed a hand on her shoulder.

“You’re not going alone.”

An overflow of gratitude and affection had her embracing Nico in a hug. Nico hugged her back and softly kissed her forehead.

“We’ll get her back. I promise on the Styx.”

“Anything else?” Will asked Vivian with his arms crossed.

“For the record”, she replied with a thin grimace, “I was supposed to try to kill you, son of Apollo.”

* * *

Sneaking into the marina was as simple as Hazel wrapping the mist around them and then climbing over the fence. The noises of the city echoed in the distance, while water lapped against concrete and ship hulls. Just the sound of the water brought back the memories of being seasick. She sighed as they searched for Anne’s Revenge II.

“Why a boat?”

“To limit our abilities”, Nico said.

“That was rhetorical.”

He was right though. Hazel couldn’t control the earth if there was no earth around. Nico wouldn’t be able to summon zombies or skeleton warriors either. By forcing them onto the water, their enemy would cut their powers in half. Hazel wished Percy was with them. She felt more comfortable around water when the son of Poseidon was nearby.  

“You get seasick?” Will asked.

Hazel glanced at him. Despite being cloaked in mist and the dark of night, everything around the son of Apollo was just a tiny bit brighter. Light seemed to cling to him the same way shadows gathered around Nico and precious gems gravitated to her. She manipulated the mist to hide him better as she replied.  

“How did you guess?”

“You got motion sick in the car.” The doctor expression appeared on his face again. “Motion sickness happens because of your brain getting conflicting information from your senses. It probably doesn’t help that your powers are intrinsically connected to solid earth… I might be able to lessen the effects of it.”

“That would be nice.”

Will placed his hands on each side of her head and hummed. A sensation of gentle warmth soothed her mind and even loosened the tension in her muscles. When Will stepped back, Hazel felt about as relaxed as possible considering the situation but otherwise no different.

“We won’t really be able to tell if it worked until we’re on the ship.”

“Thanks”, Hazel smiled and then turned to Nico, “Keep him.”

“Hazel!”

“Shhh. They can’t see us but if we’re too loud they might hear us.”

Nico glared halfheartedly at her. It was hard to tell in the dark but his ears looked red.

They soon spotted the Anne’s Revenge II towards the end of the dock. It was one of the larger sail boats in the marina. The hull at least looked like it was made from wood, giving it a classical sort of appearance. However, there were hints of modernization in the design. A few men idled about on the bottom deck. They looked too rough to be allowed into an upscale marina without question. Yet there they were with swords at their hips.

Nico started to say something but Will immediately interrupted.

“No, you’re not shadow-traveling.”

“I wasn’t suggesting that”, he replied and rolled his eyes, “I’ll distract them and then you two can sneak on.”

“Okay.”

“Be careful.”

Between her mist-manipulation and his shadows, Nico jumped onto the ship’s bow and scrambled aboard without being seen. However, he landed with a loud thump. The crew immediately looked his direction and saw through the magic.

“Ciao.”

The men drew their weapons but didn’t move. Hazel and Will took that chance to run across the plank onto the boat.

“Oh, good”, a voice came from the top deck, “Our guests are here.”

They all turned their attention to the man in what Hazel assumed to be a captain’s uniform. A long black beard hid most of his face.

“Cut the lines!”

With surprising quickness and efficiency, the ropes tying them to land were cut. None of them even had a chance to do anything about it. They were still close enough to the dock to jump off if any of them really wanted. However, somewhere aboard this ship was her mother’s ghost. Hazel could sense her.

Neither Nico nor Will made any attempts to escape while they still could either.

“Blackbeard”, Nico called out to the captain, “You’re not behind this, are you?”

“I don’t have a quarrel with the Lord of the Underworld. However, I’m a pirate. I was persuaded to help with the promise of unbelievable amount of treasure.”

His eyes fell right on Hazel, sending chills down her spine. She had a hunch that the unbelievable amount of treasure had to do with her power.

“I know you’re there, little witch. I was a prisoner of Circe’s long enough to learn how to see through the mist of a sorceress. Drop your magic and I’ll take you where your mother’s ghost is.”

Hazel glanced to her brother. His muscles were tensed in preparation to fight but he looked at her and nodded once. She could almost hear his thought: _I’ll watch your back no matter what call you make._

Hazel looked around at all the pirates. Could they beat them all? Between the three of them, probably. However, she wasn’t sure if they would harm her mother’s spirit before she or Nico could get to her.

Hazel had died for her mother. She had given up her place in Elysium for her mother. She had insisted the crew of the Argo II walk right into a trap to save her brother. Now she had come this far into yet another trap to rescue her mother’s ghost. If there was something she wouldn’t do for the sake of her family, Hazel hadn’t found it yet.

So she took a breath and let her mist-magic fall away.

“Good girl. The three of you come up here.”

The pirates ushered them up the stairs to the top deck. Blackbeard looked over them, unfazed by the triple glare he was receiving.

“Your weapons.”

Very reluctantly, Hazel gave up her spatha and silver dagger. Will handed over his bow and quiver, while Nico passed his Stygian sword to a pirate with even more reluctance than Hazel.

With them weaponless and flanked by men, Blackbeard led them through a door to the ship interior. They entered a dining room, where a feast was laid out on the table. Two chairs were more ornate than the others, snakes carved intricately into the wood.

And her mother’s ghost was there, bound inside a summoning circle. She was grey and translucent but even in death Marie Levesque had a regal bearing befitting her nickname of Queen.

“Mama…”

“Children of the Underworld. Welcome.”

A man stepped into view. He was middle-aged with Mediterranean features: olive skin, dark hair, and a bump accentuating his nose. The manic glint in his eyes put Hazel on edge.

The stolen Lethe water. The grudge against Pluto. Tricking them near the land beyond the gods. Summoning her mother’s spirit. The feast. The chairs with snakes carved into them.

Like pieces of a puzzle finally fitting together, she suddenly realized just who this man was. Hazel and Nico spoke his name at the same time.

“Pirithous.”  


	8. Pirithous’ Revenge (Hazel)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “How I wish I could see the look on Hades’ face now! Knowing that his beloved children are out of his reach, on the ocean and heading towards the land beyond the gods! Soon to be inflicted with the very same torture he put me through!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there are different versions of Pirithous' myth. I mixed and matched some details.

Hazel remembered the myth of Pirithous.

He was a demigod and ancient king who had desired to take Proserpina, the Queen of the Underworld, as his wife. So Pirithous convinced his friend Theseus to travel to the Underworld and help him kidnap the goddess. Once they entered the realm of the dead, Pluto greeted them as guests. However, the Lord of the Underworld knew of their plot. When the two men sat down at the welcome feast, snakes coiled around their legs and arms. They were tied to their chairs, trapped.  

Their punishment for daring to kidnap Pluto’s wife was that of forgetfulness. They did not know where they were, why they were there, or even who they were. Their very identities were wiped away as if they’d bathed in the River Lethe.

Eventually Theseus was rescued by Hercules but Pirithous could not be freed. He was to be forever bond to the Chair of Forgetfulness.

Or apparently not.

Pirithous now stood across the room from them with that manic gleam still in his eyes. He picked up two wine glasses from the table and dipped them into the vase center piece. Milky white liquid – water from the River Lethe – filled the glasses. Pirithous then slowly sat the glasses in front of the two chairs. He never took his eyes off of them.  

Hazel gulped.  

“How did you escape?” Nico asked the obvious question.

Pirithous grinned. It was cold and full of malice.

“When Hades’ Greek and Roman aspects were fighting, I was finally able to come to my senses and leave the Underworld. I don’t even think he realized I was gone until after I returned to steal from the Lethe River.”

Hazel glanced at her brother and Will. All three of them were tense, clutching for weapons they no longer had.  

“He naturally assumed that I would be after his dear wife, but I imagine Hades has figured out the truth by now. Summoning the ghost of his former lover should have been clue enough.”

Anger flared in Hazel’s chest. She used that to reach out her power, gripping ahold of gold and iron and silver. She just had to wait for the right moment.

Pirithous kept talking, his tone mocking, “How I wish I could see the look on Hades’ face now! Knowing that his beloved children are out of his reach, on the ocean and heading towards the land beyond the gods! Soon to be inflicted with the very same torture he put me through!”

“Right”, Nico interrupted, “Hazel and I are going to willingly sit in those chairs and let you wash away our sense of self.”

Pirithous stared a moment. The mist around her mother’s spirit began to swirl; the invisible chains holding Marie in place tightened. Her face contorted in a silent scream.  

“I’m sure you already know that if bound, ghosts can be made to feel pain.”

It took all Hazel’s control not to recklessly lunge at him. “You dirty-”

Pirithous made a tsk-ing sound and turned his attention to Will.

“There’s also the question of what to do with the extra here. I’m thinking slit his throat and have him recount to Hades what’s happened to you two.”

Will met that declaration with a level glare. The air around Nico chilled as both he and Hazel shifted closer to the son of Apollo.

Blackbeard, who had been quietly watching the exchange, spoke up then, “I’ve heard of a group that might be interested in taking a son of Apollo captive.”

“There’s also that. Or I suppose, I could be merciful and let him go”, Pirithous shrugged as if the outcome didn’t matter to him, “How corporative you two are will decide your friend’s fate.”

“I should get a say in what happens to me”, Will drawled.

He then raised his fingers to his mouth. Hazel and Nico covered their ears just before an ultrasonic whistle resounded. The window glass shattered. Pirithous and the pirates stood stunned, pained grimaces streaking across their faces.

This was the moment Hazel had been waiting for. She called for their weapons. Her spatha and dagger flew through the window and into her hands, while Nico grabbed the hilt of his sword from midair.

“Sorry, I couldn’t get your bow”, she said as she tossed the silver dagger to Will.

“I can improvise- Watch out!”

Blackbeard had recovered and lunged at them with celestial sword raised. She pushed Will away and parried the attack. Then she was dodging the attack of another pirate. Almost instinctively, she wrapped the mist around herself. It was easier to dodge and attack when your opponents thought you were an inch to the right. Even so, it was three against one with all the pirates having weight and height advantage. She was being pushed backward onto the deck outside.

In the midst of her fight, she lost track of where Will was but saw as Nico disarmed Pirithous. He then sprinted toward her mother’s ghost. Time seemed to stretch out as she watched.

(In hindsight that’s where things started going wrong.)

Nico’s voice carried with authority, making Hazel recall his title of Ghost King. “Marie Levesque, I release you.”

The reaction was instantaneous. The magic used to summon and bind the ghost shattered. The sensation of it was not unlike that of shattering glass moments before. In a few mere words, Nico had undone what must have taken Pirithous days to prepare. It was a stark reminder of just how powerful her brother was.

Her mother’s ghost shimmered as it faded away. For a brief moment daughter and mother locked eyes. Hazel had spent years shuffling around the Asphodel Fields trying to find her before accepting that it was a pointless task. Now her mother was right there. She wished they could talk to each other.

Then Marie Levesque was gone, returned to the Underworld.

Time sped up again as Blackbeard took advantage of her distraction. Hazel barely blocked his strike in time. She gritted her teeth as she struggled against his strength. Her heel edged the stairs. One good push and she’d tumble down them.

Hazel shifted to the side and in one fluid movement jumped over the rail. She landed in a roll and then attempted to spring back up to her feet. However, An ill-timed waved swayed the ship. Hazel stumbled. 

The pirates had no trouble with the rocking boat. They reached the bottom deck in seconds. Blackbeard lunged again. Hazel attempted to parry but her footing was still weak. Her spatha got knocked out of her hands and clattered across the deck.

Blackbeard pointed his sword at her. “Do yourself a favor and surrender, witch.”

“So Pirithous can erase my memory and then you use my powers to get wealthy? I’ll pass.”

Hazel reached out to metal again. Blackbeard and his lackeys’ weapons flew out of their hands.

At the same time she gathered the mist around her. Mist teleportation felt more natural to Hazel than shadow-travel but its range was very limited. She couldn’t travel more than a few hundred feet. However, right then she only needed to go twenty or so feet.

Hazel vanished into the mist and reappeared right next to her sword.

There was a clicking noise. Then a boom like a firework or gunshot. An impact that nearly knocked her over. Pain, burning in her chest.

Bewildered, Hazel looked at the pirate captain. He was holding a gun. A cold, hard look in his eyes. Hadn’t he wanted her captured alive?  

As if hearing her unspoken question, Blackbeard answered, “Pirithous wanted you alive. I went along with it for the money but it turns out I hate sorceresses more.”  

Hazel tried to reply but the best she could manage was a gurgle. It hurt. It stung. It burned. She stumbled to her knees and then fell on her side.

Being a daughter of Pluto who had died and then been resurrected, Hazel knew death like no other. She could sense her life flickering. Her lungs were filling up. She couldn’t tell if it was oil or blood.

Someone stood over her but her vision had greyed out. All she saw was a blurry silhouette. There was noise but she couldn’t understand it. Her hearing was muffled like she was underwater.

As all her senses dimmed, the thought from a few days prior echoed in her mind: _Maybe she was always destined to die in the land beyond the gods._

Then darkness embraced her like a parent hugging their child.

* * *

Hazel woke up on the shore of the River Styx.


	9. Chair of Forgetfulness (Nico)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pirithous mocked in his ear, “Wouldn’t it be better if you just forgot?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally got this chapter done.

Nico had figured out three things so far on this misbegotten boat trip. He much preferred story pirates to the real life pirates. He didn’t particularly like being weaponless when he was already cut off from using the majority of his powers. And finally that listening to some ancient Greek jerk rant about how he was going to get revenge at Hades by hurting Nico and Hazel was both strange and infuriating.

The strange part was realizing that Pirithous was right. Their relationship might have had a rough start but when Nico had spurned camp, Hades gave him a place in the Underworld. The Lord of the Dead had also looked the other way again and again so that Hazel could have a second life. Hades loved his children. Hurting them in a way that kept them so completely out of Hades’ domain would tear their father apart.

“Right”, Nico said once Pirithous finished his tirade, “Hazel and I are going to willingly sit in those chairs and let you wash away our sense of self.”

Pirithous looked at him. The mist around Marie Levesque’s spirit began to swirl. The invisible chains holding her in place tightened as her face contorted in a silent scream.  

“I’m sure you already know that if bound, ghosts can be made to feel pain.”

That was the infuriating part. Pirithous had so easily lured them into this position and knew exactly what strings to pull. It reminded Nico a little of Minos.

“You dirty-”  

Pirithous interrupted Hazel with a tsk-ing noise and then turned his attention to Will. 

“There’s also the question of what to do with the extra here. I’m thinking slit his throat and have him recount to Hades what’s happened to you two.”

Nico stomach lurched. The air around him chilled. He shifted closer to the son of Apollo and was grateful that his sister did the same. Despite the threat, Will met Pirithous’s eyes with a level glare.

“I’ve heard of a group that might be interested in taking a son of Apollo captive”, Blackbeard suggested.

“There’s also that. Or I suppose, I could be merciful and let him go”, Pirithous shrugged as if the outcome didn’t matter to him, “How corporative you two are will decide your friend’s fate.”

“I should get a say in what happens to me”, Will drawled.

Realizing what was about to happen Nico and Hazel covered their ears. Will let out an ultrasonic whistle a half-second later. The window glass shattered. Pirithous and the pirates stood stunned, pained grimaces streaking across their faces.

Nico sensed more than saw his sister use her power. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed his sword flying toward him. He quickly grabbed it out of the air.

Out the corner of his vision, he saw that Hazel was already fighting Blackbeard and two other pirates. Will darted to a side door with another pirate at his heels. Nico’s first instinct was to go help him but it wasn’t like six were after him. Will could handle one pirate. 

Nico glanced at the ghost across the room. Hazel’s mother was his first priority right now and that meant getting past Pirithous.

Nico faced him with sword ready.

“You want to fight me?” Pirithous said as he drew his weapon, a curved single-edged sword of celestial bronze. “Surely you know of my exploits.”  

“Yeah. Your exploits aren’t very impressive.”

Nico then charged him. Pirithous parried the attack and then raised his sword to strike. Nico dodged to the side and then thrust his blade forward. Pirithous blocked again. Nico gritted teeth as he struggled against Pirithous’s considerable strength.

Pirithous smirked, apparently thinking he had the advantage. Nico suddenly reached out with his free hand and twisted Pirithous’s wrist. In one fluid movement he stole the curved sword. 

Shock flashed across Pirithous’s face. That was a trick some ancient Greek wouldn’t know.  

Nico took the chance to rush toward the summoning circle. He called on his power as the son of Hades and his authority as the Ghost King. He then pushed all that force in five simple words.

“Marie Levesque, I release you.”

The magic binding Hazel’s mother shattered. Marie Levesque looked at him. Nico could recognize parts of Hazel in her. Not just in looks but the dignified conviction in her eyes and posture.

_So you’re his child too…_

She began to shimmer as her spirit was pulled back to the Underworld. Marie turned to her attention to her daughter fighting out on the deck but her voice echoed in Nico’s head.

_Thank you for giving Hazel a second chance._

Then the ghost of Marie Levesque vanished.  

With Hazel’s mother returned to the Underworld, Nico shifted priorities. He stalked over the ornate chairs and kicked the closest one over. He then brought the celestial sword down on it. As the chair splintered so did the magic engraved in the seat. Once he was finished, Nico moved to destroy the second chair.

However, a sudden weight knocked him over. Both swords fell out of his hands and clattered to the floor.

“I went through too much trouble to not get my revenge!”

Nico and Pirithous fought in a flurry of jabs and kicks. The boat swayed; and, Nico used that leverage to push away and roll to his feet. His ankle protested but Nico ignored the flare of pain as he scrambled to recover his sword. He then slashed it horizontally. Metal cut into skin and muscle across Pirithous’s side. He made a noise between a grunt and hiss.

_Boom._

A gunshot echoed from outside.

A life began to flicker out.

“Hazel!”

No, no, no. This wasn’t supposed to happen! He couldn’t lose his sister. Not again. Hades please not again.

Nico turned on his heel and ran toward to the door. He could see Hazel on the lower deck. A stunned expression fluttering across her face. Her jacket staining red. She was falling over. Her life was fading out so, so quick. He had to help her! Where was Will-

A hand gripped his hair and yanked Nico backward. At the same time another hand gripped his wrist, forcing Nico to drop his sword. Nico thrashed and flailed but Pirithous had both height and weight advantage. He dragged Nico away like a child throwing a tantrum.

Nico certainly felt like he was a child – like he was ten years old – all over again.

Pirithous mocked in his ear, “Wouldn’t it be better if you just forgot?”

His eyes went wide with fear as he realized what was about to happen. Pirithous shoved his head down into vase filled with milky-white water. It was like sticking his head in a bucket of ice water. Bubbles filled his vision as Nico continued struggling to break free of Pirithous’s hold.

Wait...why was he fighting?

Pirithous, his father’s enemy. And Hazel! He had to help his…his…

Who was Hazel?

Important. Hazel was important. He tried to picture her in his mind, to hold onto that image. Curly cinnamon-brown hair. Dark skin. A sweet smile yet conviction and determination in her…eyes. What color were her eyes?

Who’s eyes?

His…his…who?

More bubbles escaped his mouth and nose. His lungs were burning for air.  

No! Breathing in the milky-white water was the worst thing he could do!

But why?

Lethe! It’s Lethe water. The River of Forgetfulness.

He couldn’t forget. Not again. Never again.  

He’d forgotten before? When? How?

The blurry imagine of an older woman with dark hair came to mind. The faint sound of a young girl’s laugh. The distant sight of streets that weren’t really streets because they were filled with water. He tried to grasp that image. Tried to understand it and hold it close to his chest but before he could a white haze clouded it out.

What had he been trying to grasp?

The answers escaped with the last of his bubbles.

As milky-white faded into black, one last thought drifted through his mind:

Who was he?  


	10. Near Death Experience (Hazel)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Your life thread hasn’t been cut yet.”
> 
> “So I’m only mostly dead?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You're welcome.

Hazel woke up on the shore of the River Styx. The sand was ash black. Trash floated by on the river. Her nose crinkled from its pungent smell. Hesitantly she scooted forward to the water’s edge and looked down at her reflection. 

She was translucent like a ghost yet wasn’t faded out. She wasn’t wearing her jeans and jacket but a white toga-styled dress with golden belt. A gold circlet adorned with black spinel and rhodonite sat on her head.

“This wasn’t how I looked last time I died.”

Actually, Hazel wondered, how did she end up here? Shouldn’t she have gone to Charon first?

“It is because you’ve grown into your power.”

Hazel stood up and slowly turned around. Pluto stood before her with his fiery eyes, deathly pale skin, and screaming souls shifting in the dark fabric of his tunic and toga. The opal ring representing his marriage to Proserpina gleamed in the dim light. The familiar burn of having a deadbeat dad rose in her chest.  

“Father.”

“Hazel.” There was something in his expression, a mix of pride and worry. “Your life thread hasn’t been cut yet.”

Hazel recalled a cute movie Frank had been excited to show her.

“So I’m only mostly dead?”

“That’s a way to describe it.” Pluto’s mouth twitched like he was holding back a smile. The expression reminded her of Nico. It was a little surreal and made her bitterness toward Pluto falter. “Being close to death, you were able to project your spirit here. It was your will.”

“Why would I…?” And then she realized why. “I wanted to talk to my mother…”

“I was mistaken. I misjudged Pirithous’s intentions.” Pluto grimaced as he spoke, like admitting a god could make mistakes was physically painful. “I should have made it so no one could summon Marie’s ghost.”

The bitterness came back in full force. Only now did Pluto think to protect her?

Hazel’s anger must have shown on her face because Pluto began to explain.

“Blocking a ghost from summoning is not usually done unless one of my children attempts to summon someone they shouldn’t. It is dangerous for the living to meet the dead. My children are not immune to that. In many ways, it is worse for you.”

The unspoken example hung in the air. Nico had spent years chasing after ghosts and trying to resurrect Bianca.

“I was dead.”

Perhaps it was risky to so bluntly say. How many times could the Lord of the Underworld pretend she wasn’t an escaped soul?

To her surprise, Pluto smiled at her.

“Now you are alive. If I am granting leniency on the use of the Physician’s Cure for one hero of Olympus, then my daughter deserves a second life as well. Hazel, you are free to come and go as you please. I will set aside a room for you in my castle as well, if you want it.”

Hazel gaped at her father, tears prickling in her eyes. She quickly wiped them away. The anger was still there but there was also the part of her that had been happy to hear him say how proud he was when she defeated Sciron. That side – that wanted to be closer with her father – was ecstatic.

Pluto’s smile then faded into a grim frown. He stepped closer and held out a hand, offering a small glass vial.

“It won’t be long before you are pulled back into the realm of the living. There is something you must do before then. The River Mnemosyne is a lesser river of the Underworld that runs parallel to the Lethe. Go to there and collect water from it in this vial.”

Hesitantly she grabbed the vial from him. Mnemosyne? That was a Greek name. Though Mnemosyne was the Greek counterpart of the Titan Moneta, Hazel couldn’t remember if the river had been named in Roman. She supposed not since her father was referring to the river in Greek.

“Why would I need water from that river?”

The purple fire in Pluto’s eyes flared. Unease and fear washed over Hazel.

“Lethe water is meant to wash away the past of ghosts so that they can be reborn. When a living person bathes in the Lethe, it is possible for them to remember over time and by encountering memory triggers. However, time is not on our side. The Mnemosyne is opposite the Lethe. It can restore what’s been lost.”

Well, that was ominous.

Hazel gripped the vial in her hand. She still wanted to ask after her mother but…She could visit the Underworld whenever she wanted now. There would be time for her mother later.  

“Alright.”

Pluto placed a hand on her shoulder. Despite his touch being cold, the action was gentle and comforting. He then withdrew, stepping back into the long shadows of the walls of Erebos and vanishing as simply as he appeared.

Hazel stood on the bank of Styx a moment longer before walking towards the gates. It wasn’t long until the black pillars of the Underworld’s main gates were before her. Ghosts fogged by Mist were passing through under the watch of Cerberus, heading either toward the EZ line or toward the Judgement Pavilion. Hazel took a deep (and rather unnecessary considering she was basically a ghost at the moment) breath.

Then she walked through the Gates of the Underworld.

Hazel remembered what it was like when she took Nico’s hand and left the Asphodel Fields with him. The ghosts had parted for them, instinctually aware of the power the son of Hades had. Now the ghosts did the same for the daughter of Pluto.  

Cerberus’s three heads lowered and sniffed her. Hazel tensed and cautiously raised a hand to pat the middle head’s damp nose. Cerberus’s tail started wagging, making the tension leave her shoulders. Three-headed hellhound he may be, it was nice being able to pet a dog.

“Good boy.” She gave him one more scratch behind the ears before backing away. “I have to hurry. But I’ll visit to play with you sometime.”

Hazel continued on past the darkened tent of the Judgement Pavilion. Her connection to the earth gave her an innate understanding of the Underworld. It was like a highly detailed map was displayed in her head. She knew exactly where the River Mnemosyne was.

_Hurry._ Her father’s voiced echoed in her mind.

Was there a way get to get there faster than walking? Hazel looked down at her hands as she continued on. Mist hovered around her. In fact, she realized, her ghost-like body was made from Mist. A satisfied smile lit her face. When Hazel took the next step, she flickered and vanished.

She then reappeared a few hundred feet ahead.

“I can work with this.”

By the time she reached the edge of the Elysian Fields – bright and golden with the sounds of music and celebration echoing – when she felt the first tug. It was like an invisible rope trying to pull her backwards, out of the Underworld. Tendrils of Mist swirled around her as she focused on taking another step forward.

Hazel couldn’t return yet.

With each step and Mist-teleportation the tug became more and more insistent. However, her goal was soon within sight. The River Mnemosyne was less a river and more a stream. It had once been larger, if the wide dried up riverbank was any indication. Now it was a shallow trickle of water.

The water of itself was as clear as glass. The river-bottom was filled with dark sand and glittering bits of copper and gold. As she stared down it images seemed to flash across the surface: riding horses with Sammy, her calling up material for the re-creation of Alcyoneus, Nico offering his hand.

_You’re my sister, too._

Hazel fought against another tug as she slid down the slope of the river. She stopped right at the edge of the Mnemosyne. Ice cold water lapped at the tips of her toes. Bending down, she uncorked the vial and dipped it into the crystal waters. Once it was filled, Hazel stood back up and secured the vial.

When the next tugging sensation came, she allowed it to pull her out of the Underworld.

* * *

The temple of Pluto located in New Rome was dark and empty. No one was there to witness the ghostly form of Hazel flicker into existence in front of the obsidian alter. She glanced around the room in confusion.

“What am I doing here?”

The only answer she got was the faint sound of a wind draft.

With no other ideas, Hazel floated outside. It was still the dead of night. The city glowed with a bubble of light as cities are wont to do. Down the hill, Camp Jupiter was darker though not completely so.

Hazel flickered in and out of the Mist as she made her way down the hill. A couple strolling through the Garden of Bacchus startled as she passed by. Hazel shyly waved before continuing on. She wasn’t really sure what she was going to do. Seeing Frank as she was probably wouldn’t be a good idea.

Hazel was half-way across the fields when a rush of wind and hoof gallops met her.

“Arion!”

The horse came to a sudden stop and snorted, his deep brown eyes looking over her warily.

“Don’t worry. I’m only mostly dead.”

Arion flicked his tail in what Hazel assumed was annoyance.

An idea then formed in her head. “Do you think you can get someone’s attention and have them harness you to the imperial gold chariot?”

Arion snorted again as if saying “well, duh”.

“Thank you!” Hazel beamed. “I’ll feed you lots of gold when this is over.”

He shook his mane and neighed appreciatively in reply.

One last tug pulled at Hazel, stronger and even more insistent than before. She made no attempt to fight it. Her ghostly form flickered once more and then disappeared.

* * *

Hazel woke to warmth pouring into her chest and the sound of singing in her ears.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And then Arion probably goes to rudely wake up the silly Chinese-Canadian baby man. Specifically goes to wake the Chinese-Canadian baby man. Because Arion just rolls like that.


	11. Sunbreak (Will)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will silently thanked Apollo for passing down the gift of melodrama.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My google history now has “what happens when shot in the lung”. The joys of being a writer. XD

When the fighting started, Will was positive that he’d only get in Nico and Hazel’s way. He quickly ducked into the nearest door, his feet pounding against the wooden stairs. Halfway down, he realized one of the pirates had followed him.

“Eep!” Will cried very heroically before leaping down the rest of the stairs.

The stairs led him to the kitchen area of the boat (mess? galley?). Will grabbed the first object he could get his hands on – a pan on the drying rack – and threw it like a discus. In the tight quarters, the pirate didn’t even have a chance to dodge. The pan hit him in the head with a ringing metallic thud.

Will winced as the pirate went down like a limp doll. More out of ingrained healer training than anything, Will quickly checked over the man. He was unconscious with a concussion and fractured skull but would probably live. Probably.

He did not want to stick around in case more showed up. Will quickly moved through the rooms and halls, passing bunks and storage space. He hoped to find a way back onto the deck so he could recover his bow and quiver. He was at least an average archer, while fighting in close quarters with only a silver dagger would only get him killed.    

He was nearly to another set of stairs when the boat suddenly swayed. Will stumbled a little and placed a hand on the wall for balance. With solid footing regained, he jogged up the stairs.

A muffled bang sounded just as he cracked the door open.

“Was that?”

Cautiously he stepped out onto the left side of the deck (was that port or starboard?). The walkway was narrow between the railing and the wall, water droplets occasionally splashing onboard. Will peeked around the corner.

Hazel was sprawled on the deck, blood seeping from her shirt and pooling around her, while Blackbeard and two of his pirates stood over her.

A flip switched in Will’s head as urgency jolted through his body. He had to heal Hazel. However, he had to get the pirates away from her before he’d be able to. There was no way he could take all three with only a dagger. He needed his supplies, which were on the upper deck.They would be impossible to reach the stairway unnoticed so he surveyed the wall to the upper deck. Will quickly realized that ships had many places to put hands and feet. He took a deep breath and grabbed the nearest handhold.

Will scaled the wall to the upper deck with all the skill of someone who had spent years climbing a rock wall with the threat of honest-to-gods lava. In fact, he made a mental note to never complain about the lava wall again. It had well prepared him for this task.  

“Hey!” Blackbeard’s voice barked.

Will cursed as he scrambled over the railing and onto the upper deck. He sprinted to where his bow, quiver, and backpack were set aside. Instead of grabbing his weapon, he rummaged through his bag. A second later he found what he was searching for: Lou Ellen’s parting gift.

Heart pounding in his ears, he spared a glance at the pirates. They were hurrying up to him with all the grace and speed of people that actually lived on ships. Gripping the ball in his fist, Will did a few quick mental calculations.He then lobbed the pink ball into the air. It arched high before soaring downward. Blackbeard jumped to the side, trying to get away, but it was a fruitless attempt. The pig bomb hit the stairs and exploded in a puff of pink smoke that enveloped all three pirates.

When the wind cleared the pink away, all that remained were three pigs oinking in confusion.

Will let out a whoop. “Thank you, Lou Ellen!”

He then grabbed his first aid kit and rushed back down the stairs. Bending down next to Hazel, Will placed his fingertips on her neck as if to check her pulse. Granted, her heartrate was one of the pieces of information that flooded in his mind.

Entry wound was between two rib bones. The lower right lung had been punctured, air and blood intrusion causing it to collapse. Exit wound was out the side of the rib cage. It was a minor miracle that the bullet hadn’t shattered any of her ribs or pierced major arteries. The collapsed lung was the primary concern, followed by blood loss.

Will carefully shifted Hazel to her side, letting gravity help keep her lung from collapsing farther. He didn’t have any of the equipment to deal with this in his first aid kit. To give Hazel a chance he would need to pull out all the stops on his vitakinesis.

Placing his hands over the entry wound, Will began to sing a hymn of healing. First he steadily drew out the pooling blood from her lung. Once that was done, he took a moment and then altered his song to begin the process of stitching lung tissue back together.

Something strange happened then. Hazel’s body resisted his healing. The shock made his voice waver. Certain types of injuries, usually involving poisons, would resist his healing but a wound like this shouldn’t. Was it because Hazel should be dead? Had been dead for decades before being resurrected?

Will sang louder and poured more energy into his healing. The pulling resistance continued. Will doubled his efforts again.

Soon his hands began to glow a warm golden-yellow, like sunlight dripping from his fingertips. Will recognized that it was in fact a bad sign. He was burning too much of his energy, too quickly. If he kept this up for much longer…

_“I haven’t seen potential like yours in a very long time”, Chiron had once told him, “But precisely because of that, you must learn your limits. Thinking they can save everyone, many powerful healers have burnt themselves out.”_

But he couldn’t give up on Hazel! Not yet! Not when it was an injury that should be within his power to heal! If only she’d stop actively fighting him!

As if Hazel had heard his mental rant, the resistance suddenly vanished. Will breathed a sigh of relief and continued healing. Tissue, muscle, veins, and skin were all slowly rebuilt.

Once he’d done enough to get Hazel’s life out of immediate danger, Will pulled away with slumping shoulders. The glow of his hands faded, again leaving them with just the lights of the boat to see by. He wanted to take a long nap in the sun. Sunlight always gave him a boost of energy, especially after an intense use of his healing powers. Shame it was still night.

A few moments later Hazel groaned and tried to move. Will lightly rested a hand on her back and helped her sit up.

“Take it easy. I healed your injuries but you still lost a lot of blood.”

Will settled her against the wall railing. He then used a sanitizing wipe to clean the blood off his hands before breaking off a piece of ambrosia.  

“Here.”

Despite the trouble earlier, Hazel was a good patient and ate without any more prompting. Once she swallowed it, Hazel’s head dropped. For a second Will thought she’d lost consciousness but then realized she was staring at a vial in her hand.

“Nico.” Her voice was weak but carried urgency.

“What is that-”

“You, son of Apollo, are going to heal me.”

They both looked up to see Pirithous walking unsteadily down the stairs. He was clutching his blood-stained side with one hand. Will tensed and angled himself in front of Hazel. She was in no condition to fight. Not that he was much better honestly. He felt completely drained.

And where was Nico? Pirithous’s appearance did not bode well for the son of Hades…

Will scrambled to his feet, legs wobbling from exhaustion. “What if I refuse?”

“I may be injured but it’s obvious you’re no fighter. I held back against the son of Hades because I wanted him alive. Your life depends on your usefulness to me.”

Pirithous raised his free hand and sparks of electricity jumped from his fingers. Will gulped, suddenly remembering that Pirithous was a son of Zeus. He was thoroughly outclassed and all out of tricks.

“Go along with it but take your time”, Hazel whispered in his ear, so low that he almost didn’t hear her.

Will wished he could ask what she was planning. While she was another child of the Big Three, there was no way Hazel would be able to directly face Pirithous right after being shot and nearly dying. Then again anyone as skilled in using the Mist as Hazel didn’t need to be direct.  

Will put on his best defeated, terrified expression and silently thanked Apollo for passing down the gift of melodrama.

“Okay...You win.”

The smile that lit Pirithous’s face was unsettling.

“I need to- to clean the wound.”

Pirithous let him approach and peel away the bloodied fabric. Slower than necessary, Will rinsed the gash. While it wasn’t visible to the eye, a sensation of hollowness prickled against his fingers as he worked. Because it was inflected by Stygian iron, his mind supplied.

He hoped Nico was okay…

When he got gauze from his first aid kit, Pirithous shot him a furious glare.

“If I just wanted a bandage, I could have done it myself. I told you to heal me.”  

This time Will didn’t have to fake the fear on his face. “I need to recover my strength before I can use my healing abilities again.”

“Useless”, Pirithous spat.

For a brief moment, as Pirithous’s sparking hand reached forward, Will thought he was about to discover what being electrocuted felt like.  

“Ugff-”

The gold blade of Hazel’s spatha pierced through Pirithous’s stomach. The Hazel that was sitting wide-eyed and weakly vanished like dispersing fog, while the real Hazel appeared behind Pirithous. She pulled her sword free of his body and dropped it to the deck before ramming into him with her entire weight on his back. Pirithous stumbled forward and tumbled over the railing.

Will snatched Hazel’s arms before she could go overboard as well. Together they watched Pirithous hit the dark water and vanish beneath the waves.

“We need to help Nico!” Hazel shouted as she twisted around and grabbed his arm, pulling him toward the stairs. 

Will was more than willing to go and quickly outpaced her.

The sight that met them back in the dining room was not pleasant. Nico sat in the remaining ornate chair, snakes that were now living carvings coiled around his wrists and ankles. His black hair was dripping wet. He looked straight at them but his eyes were glazed over as if they weren’t even there.

Before this mess of a quest had started, Will had dreamed that Nico would vanish. Tears welled in his eyes because now that had essentially come true.

“Nico…No…”

“It-it’ll be okay”, Hazel said as she held up the vial from earlier, “This is water from the River Mnemosyne.”

“The Mother of the Muses has a river?” Will wrinkled his brow. He vaguely recalled reading something about Mnemosyne back when he was trying to find out everything he could about his father. “That’s right…There was a cult or something would drink from the Lethe and then from the Mnemosyne. But I think it drove some of them mad.”

They stared at each other for a moment. Hazel gulped and pressed the vial in his palm.

“Nico is stronger than anyone. He survived Tartarus alone. He’ll be okay.”

Will couldn’t tell if she was trying to convince him or herself.

“Why are you giving it to me?”

She grimaced. “Neither of us is in any condition to fight. I need to reinforce the door before Pirithous shows back up.”

Will let out a strangled curse, “Normally I’m very grateful with how hard it is for you Big Three kids to get killed but this is just frustrating!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact I learned while researching for this fanfic: The Cave of Trophonius was an Oracle associated with Mnemosyne. And yes, it involved drinking water from the Lethe and then the Mnemosyne and was known for driving people mad. I was very amused/pleased for this unintentional tie-in to where the Trials of Apollo series is going.


	12. Piece By Piece (Nico)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Memories flashed by like someone had taken a puzzle box and dumped all the pieces onto the table.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took a bit longer than usual to get out but really it was quite the doozy to write. A special thanks to a friend of friend who helped out with the Italian that appears in this chapter (translations at the end notes).

A freckle speckled face and big blue eyes that seemed dimmer than they should be as if overcast by clouds of anxiety (why did he think that?) swam into his vision. The face was too close. His first reaction was to push the boy back but he couldn’t seem to lift his hands up.

“Nico!”

Nico…?

Who was…Nico?

“Here, drink this.”

The boy lifted a vial to his face. He stared at it uneasily.

“Just drink it, okay. Doctor’s orders.”

Doctor’s…orders…?

Before he could do anything, the boy pressed the vial to his lips. Icy cold water hit his tongue; and, instinctually he swallowed. The coldness seeped down his throat into his stomach and spread throughout his body, down into his bones.

Then memories flashed by like someone had taken a puzzle box and dumped all the pieces onto the table.

* * *

_“Ninna nanna, ninna oh_

_Questo bimbo a chi lo dò?_

_Ninna nanna, ninna oh_

_Questo bimbo a chi lo dò?”_

_His first memory was of a voice that slow and melodic. One arm wrapped securely around him, while his mother’s other hand brushed through his hair. A girl – Bianca – stared at him with big brown eyes while she also snuggled beside their mother._

_“Se lo dò alla befana_

_se lo tiene una settimana_

_Se lo dò all’uomo nero_

_se lo tiene un anno intero”_

* * *

_They stood on a bridge, his hand clasped by a larger one. People bustled by and boats passed in the canal below. His mother smiled down at him, her face illuminated by the sunlight rippling off the water._

* * *

_“Se lo dò al lupo bianco_

_se lo tiene tanto tanto_

_Ninna nanna, nanna fate_

_Il mio bimbo addormentate.”_

* * *

_Bianca laughed as she tugged him through the Mall, excited to explore this country they’d never been to before. Her floppy green hat got caught on a breeze and flew off._

_“Il mio cappello!”_

_“I’ll get it!” He said as he slipped out of her grasp and ran off after it._

_“Nico! Don’t run off like that!” She fussed when she’d caught up._

_He just smiled and stood on his tip-toes to place the hat back on her head like it was a crown._

* * *

A loud banging shattered the confusing spell he seemed to be under, bringing him back to where (when?) the blond was hunched next to him.

“Pirithous is back!” A girl yelled. Her voice was vaguely familiar.

The blond boy muttered curses under his breath before turning back to him with pleading eyes. Very blue eyes.

“Nico, do you remember anything at all?”

“Chi è Nico?”

“Um, no then.”

“I tuoi occhi sono così blu. E le tue lentiggini sono anche carini.”

The blond stared at him quizzically. “Yeah, I have no idea what you’re saying.”

“I can’t hold the door much longer!” The girl’s voice shouted again.

Then the room exploded with the booming of thunder and a blinding flash of light.

* * *

_He chased Bianca around marble columns of the hotel, while their mom talked to a lawyer in a black pinstripe suit._

_There was a sudden prickling sensation in the air like how it felt before a thunderstorm. Bianca stopped in her tracks, causing him to crash into her side._

_“No!” The lawyer screamed._

_A wall of darkness covered them just as a flash of light struck. The room exploded with the booming of thunder; the ground violently shook as if the earth itself were splintering. In the safety of the darkness, the siblings clung to each other._

_When light returned, they found the lawyer holding the lifeless body of their mother and screaming at the sky._

* * *

_He was half-aware of the snoring campers when he finally fell asleep. He dreamed of the desert and a sprawling junkyard. A metal statue, like one of his Mythomagic figures but giant, was stomping around. He saw his sister running toward it with a determined yet sad expression._

_A cord – a thread – snapped. He shot up from his bunk, suddenly wide awake._

_“B-Bianca…”_

_He didn’t know how he knew but the knowledge bore down heavy on him. His sister had…_

_No! It couldn’t true! It was just a dream, a nightmare! Percy promised to protect her!_

* * *

The sound of fighting was in the background but it seemed distant and muffled.

“…Percy?”

* * *

_Sea-green eyes stared at him in apprehension and confusion. His heart thumped wildly against chest._

_“I-I know you.”_

_“Do you?”_

* * *

_He was scared, clinging to Bianca’s arm. Dr. Thorn scared him._

_But there was a new boy with sword that gleamed in the dark, standing there as if he was a mythical hero come-to-life._

_“My name’s Percy. I’m going to take you out of here, get you somewhere safe.”_

* * *

_“I… that’s a big thing to promise, Nico, on a trip like this. Besides, she’s got Zoe, Grover, and Thalia–”_

_“Promise.”_

_“I’ll do my best. I promise that.”_

* * *

_"Hey! Where's… where’s my sister?”_

_Everyone glanced at each other in silence. After a moment of tension, Percy got up from his chair._

_“Hey, Nico. Let’s take a walk, okay? We need to talk.”_

_He followed Percy outside, already knowing. The son of Poseidon tried to explain what happened but it was just an awkward ramble._

_“She wanted you to have this.”_

_Percy handed over a Mythomagic figurine. He stared blankly at it, recognizing it as Hades. The only figurine he didn’t have in his collection yet._

_“You promised you would protect her.”_

_“Nico”, Percy replied with frost on his breath, “I tried. But Bianca gave herself up to save the rest of us. I told her not to. But she—”_

_“You promised!”_

_Tears brimmed in his eyes as he clutched the figurine._

_“I shouldn’t have trusted you. You lied to me. My nightmares were right!”_

_Percy said something else but he didn’t care to listen. He flung the figurine away instead._

_“I hate you!”_

_“She might be alive. I don’t know for sure–”_

_“She’s dead.” He closed his eyes and felt her, so far away. “I should’ve known it earlier. She’s in the Fields of Asphodel, standing before the judges right now, being evaluated. I can feel it.”_

_“What do you mean, you can feel it?”_

_He wasn’t sure how to explain it or even if he wanted to._

_Then a hissing, clattering noise made Percy draw his sword. He gasped as four skeleton warriors stumbled toward them. Any other time he might of thought them cool but now he shuddered._

_“You’re trying to kill me! You brought these… these things?”_

_“No! I mean, yes, they followed me, but no! Nico, run. They can’t be destroyed.”_

_“I don’t trust you!”_

_The skeletons charged at Percy. He fought in a blur of motion. However, each time a skeleton was struck down it would stitch itself back together._

_“Run, Nico! Get help!”_

_He could hear the skeletons in his head. This is what you wanted, they said, this is what you’ve ordered us to do._

_“No!” He pressed his hands to his ears. “NO! Go away!”_

_The ground rumbled. The skeletons froze as a crack opened at their feet. The ground ripped apart like a snapping mouth. Flames erupted from the fissure, and the earth swallowed the skeletons in one loud crunch!_

_Silence descended as flakes of snow drifted down from the sky and began to cover the new blackened scar across the marble floor._

_Percy looked over at him. “How did you–”_

_“Go away! I hate you! I wish you were dead!”_

_Even in the heat of the moment, he knew he didn’t mean it. The opposite really; and, that scared him about as much as the skeletons. So he ran away._

* * *

_“You see, Nico, Luke Castellan is offering very good money for halfbloods. Especially powerful half-bloods. And I’m sure when he learns your little secret, who you really are, he’ll pay very, very well indeed.”_

_He drew his sword but it was knocked out of his hand before he could react. At Geryon’s order, the son of Ares wrapped a huge arm around him, lifting him off the ground despite his struggling._

_How dare the rancher trick him like this?!_

_“Wait!” Percy interrupted despite the two-handed dog pinning him. “Geryon, you said you’re a businessman. Make me a deal.”_

_No! He didn’t want Percy’s help! Why did Percy insist on helping him?! Did the son of Poseidon feel guilty about Bianca? Well, he should!_

_But that didn’t mean he wanted help from some hero with stupid pretty eyes!_

* * *

_He glanced into Percy’s bedroom and spotted cake with bright blue icing. His stomach rumbled at the sight. When was the last time he’d had a good meal? Let alone cake?_

_“Is that…is that blue birthday cake?”_

_“Come inside for some cake and ice cream”, Percy offered, “It sounds like we’ve got a lot to talk about.”_

_His stomach flipped for a reason that had nothing to do with the cake._

* * *

_He was pinned to the floor with the edge of a sword at his throat and those eyes, as turbulent and merciless as the stormy seas, staring down at him._

_“Want … to . . . rescue.” He managed to choke out._

_“Oh, yeah? And why should I trust you?”_

_The words stung. He hadn’t meant to betray Percy!_

_“No … choice?”_

* * *

_The screaming alerted Nico. Silk thread had roped around Annabeth’s ankle and was pulling her into the pit. And Percy, he would never let her go._

_He hobbled as fast as he could. If something wasn’t done quick…They would fall._

_By the time he’d reached the edge of the chasm, they were too far. Even so he stretched his arm out as far as he could. No one deserved to go through-_

_“The other side, Nico! We’ll see you there. Understand?”_

_Did Percy realize what he was saying! “But—”_

_“Lead them there!” Percy shouted. “Promise me!”_

_“I—I will.” He promised because, even now, there was little he wouldn’t do for Percy Jackson._

_Then Percy and Annabeth fell down-down-down into the hellish bowels of Tartarus._

* * *

_He fell down-down-down into the red tinted dark-_

_Air howling past his head, popping in his ears-_

_The river of misery washing over him, filling his lungs with screams-_

_The wail of a banshee he could not escape-_

_He stumbled to the ground, shards of obsidian digging through his pants and scratching against his knees-_

_Fire burned down his throat, through his veins-_

_The dark, slimy ground beneath his feet pulsed with the heartbeat of this living thing-place-_

_Keres swooped down laying down curses upon curses-_

_“Child of Hades.” Achlys smiled her poison smile. “What more could I do to you? You are perfect! So much sorrow and pain!”_

_The Night, Nyx and her hoard, stretching out her inky darkness scattered with glimmering galaxies-_

_The mind-numbing void of Chaos-_

_The heart of Tartarus, pumping the blood of monsters-_

_Finally finally the Doors of Death-_

_**Gaia.** _

* * *

_Enclosed. Trapped. The scent of poison in the stagnant air. How long had it been? He opened his hand to find one pomegranate seed left._

_“Please…” He croaked out before swallowing his last of lifeline._

* * *

_Darkness clung to him, imbedded itself beneath his skin. Once shadows had meant safety and comfort but now…_

_Now they were consuming him.  And part of him thought that maybe he should let the shadows have him._

* * *

The world was shaking. He blinked dazedly and realized that, no, the world wasn’t shaking. It was the blond boy shaking his shoulders.

“Nico, please, snap out of it! Hazel needs your help!”

Hazel…?

“Taking to him is useless, son of Apollo”, a deep and cold voice spoke, “His mind is lost to Lethe.”

Curiosity had him turning his head to the voice. A man stood there with fury sparking in his eyes. At his feet was a girl clutching her stomach like she’d been punched or kicked. Drying blood stained her jacket. Pain and exhaustion stretched across her face but her eyes blazed like liquid gold.  

The scene made his chest burn so hot that it turned cold.

“Hazel?” He breathed out the word out in a whisper. The familiarity on his lips brought forth another memory.

* * *

_Sorrow and anger swirled around him like a dark cloud as he walked through the Fields of Asphodel. Then, from the corner of his eye, he noticed a girl that stood out among the other dazed and listless ghosts. It was the startling golden color of her eyes in the otherwise monotone grey of the Fields that first caught his attention. She sat motionless beneath a tree with this heaviness to her that the other ghosts lacked, like she was weighed down by regrets._

_Intrigue had him walking over to her. When she looked up, their eyes locked. Suddenly her life was playing out before him._

_“You’re different”, he said after a moment, “A child of Pluto. You remember your past.”_

_“Yes. And you’re alive.”_

_Bianca was lost to him but… This girl, Hazel Levesque, had suffered much in life and death. He couldn’t help but to feel a connection to her as a fellow child of the Underworld._

_“I’m Nico di Angelo. I came looking for my sister. Death has gone missing, so I thought…I thought I could bring her back and no one would notice.”_

_“Back to life?” Hazel asked. “Is that possible?”_

_“It should have been… But she’s gone. She chose to be reborn into a new life. I’m too late.”_

_“I’m sorry.”_

_“You’re my sister too. You deserve another chance. Come with me.”_

_She reached out and took his offered hand._

* * *

Like a damn had broken, more memories flooded into his mind: Them lying side-by-side atop a bone and gem encrusted roof. Him sitting up on a ship mast alone at night but Hazel bringing hot chocolate and kind words. Hugging her and kissing her head as Hazel cried herself to sleep. Light-hearted teasing. A sense of being grounded that he’d thought forever lost but found in a new form.

The anger seeping into his bones suddenly made perfect sense. That man had hurt – was hurting – his sister!

The man stared down at Hazel disdainfully. “Your brother broke the other chair so I can’t bind you but I can still force you to drink Lethe water.”

No! He silently screamed as he struggled against the restrains coiled around his wrists and ankles.

Then the blond boy did something that was perhaps brave but mostly foolish. He grabbed a splintered piece of wood that had once been part of a chair’s arm and threw it at the man’s head. The man spun around with narrowed eyes. A gust of wind whipped through the room, stopping the chair arm and sending the blond flying backward. He hit the wall with a thud and fell limply to the floor.

Hazel cursed and scrambled up but was immediately kicked down again.

“Give up. You don’t have the strength to fight me so far from your father’s domain.”

He continued pulling and straining against the chair, trying desperately to stand up. As he struggled, the chair seemed to whisper: Who are you? Who are you?

* * *

_“You have no power over me. I am the lord of spirits! The ghost king!”_

_“No. I am.”_

* * *

_“My point is this: you and I rose to the aid of Olympus because you convinced me to let go of my anger. I would encourage you to do likewise. My children are so rarely happy. I … I would like to see you be an exception.”_

* * *

“I… I am Nico di Angelo, the son of Hades.”

At the sound of his voice both Hazel and the man – Pirithous, his mind suddenly supplied – looked over at him. His sister was relieved, but fear flickered across Pirithous’s face.

The snake-like restrains disintegrated to ash. Nico stood up with every intention to strike the man down.

He realized a half-second later that he had no idea where his sword was. His next reaction was to reach for his powers but he quickly found a barrier, a foreign realm that blocked him from the Underworld. The earth was simply too far from his reach.

Then Hazel met his eyes. He felt a surge of strength and realized that his sister was aiding his efforts. It felt familiar yet different as if they’d shared their powers before but in another way.

Together, his sister’s eyes said.

That too seemed similar yet different.

* * *

_There had been another girl; one who wasn’t he sister yet the bond they’d forged was not unlike that of siblings. She’d been captured and threatened. And Nico had been too weak and exhausted to help. Until they locked eyes; and, she had shared her strength._

_“Nico”, she said, “Do what you need to do. I’ve got your back.”_

_Then he had done something terrible._

* * *

Nico knew what he had to do. Working as one, the children of the Underworld reached though layer and layer of water.

“Just going to stand there?” Pirithous scoffed, “This has been a headache but I can fix it. I’ll make you both drink the Lethe water again and then-”

Finally they found the seafloor. Two sets of metaphorical fingers pried the underwater earth open. Unworldly energy shot up from the depths; and, Nico channeled it as he pleased.

Howls of the dead bellowed throughout the ship and across the shifting waves outside. Unbridled horror shone in Pirithous’s eyes. He frantically gripped Hazel’s arm as if attempting to use her as a shield but she elbowed him and scurried out of his reach.

“You are dead. You’ve been dead for thousands of years”, Nico proclaimed, “Now return to the Fields of Punishment where you belong.”    

Ghostly chains flew through the floor and wrapped around Pirithous. His body turned smoky and translucent.

“No! I won’t go back! I won’t!”

“Say hello to our father for us.”

Pirithous screamed and screamed as he was pulled through the ship hull and deep down until he vanished into the crack in the ocean floor. Hazel sealed the earth shut behind him.

The siblings looked at each other. Nico felt his mouth stretch into a thin thank-the-gods-that’s-finally-over smile; an identical expression mirrored on his sister’s face.

Then the world rudely tilted.

“Nico! Hazel!”

That was the last thing he heard before his vision went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Italian lullaby is a version of "Ninna nanna, ninna oh" I found.
> 
> "Il mio cappello!" = "My hat!"
> 
> "Chi è Nico?" = "Who is Nico?"
> 
> “I tuoi occhi sono così blu. E le tue lentiggini sono anche carini.” = "Your eyes are so blue. And your freckles are cute."


	13. Aftermath (Nico)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nico stumbled like someone had just sucker punched him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for how long this chapter took! I was out of town and then Pokemon Go dropped and took over my life. But finally the chapter is here!

Nico let out a low groan as he came to. His head pounded like someone was beating a drum inside his skull.

Slowly he became aware that someone was pressed against his side. He blinked his eyes open and turned his head to see Hazel. Her skin had a pallor tint but her breathing was deep and steady. Her expression remained unmarred by bad dreams. Not wanting to disturb her, Nico sat up carefully. He rearranged the ski-jacket that had been covering the both of them so that it was tucked snugly around his sister. He then pressed a kiss to her forehead before standing.

The room was a disaster. Broken glass cracked beneath his boots; and, he had to step around what was once the door. It had apparently been blown off its hinges by a bolt of lightning, an event he could only vaguely recollect. When he reached the door-frame, Nico stumbled like someone had just sucker punched him.

Because _he_ was standing out on the deck. His back was to Nico as he faced the dawn. He was basking in the light of morning as the sun painted the sky in purples and pinks and golden-orange with just the faintest of blue stretching along the edges. The light too clamored to him, haloing his head and turning his curls as golden as the sun itself.

Definitely a son of Apollo.

Nico knew him, of course. Or at least knew that he knew him. Snippets of a hundred past conversations echoed in his mind. He could feel phantom sparks of hands brushing against his skin. However, there remained pieces he’d yet to fit into place. It was frustrating that Nico couldn’t recall his name.  

Finally sensing he wasn’t alone anymore, the son of Apollo slowly turned around. At the sight of Nico, a hesitant smile spread across his freckled face. His eyes were the color of the bluing sky.

“Nico?”

Nico felt like he’d been sucker punched again.

* * *

_Nico was exhausted but happy and relieved. The battle was over. They’d won. Kronos was gone, scattered into oblivion. Percy had survived. Hades – his father – was proud of him._

_“Nico! Nico di Angelo!”_

_Nico turned toward the voice. A blond boy around his age was running toward him, face grimy from sweat and dust. He skidded to a stop a few feet in front of Nico, hands tentatively reaching out as if to grab his hand or maybe hug him. However, the boy pulled back and fidgeted with his shirt hem instead._

_“I, um…We’ve never officially met before. I’m Will Solace.”_

_“You’re one of the field medics.”_

_“Yeah. You saved my life earlier. I mean, you saved all of us with your undead army. But you also saved me specifically when a monster snuck up on me while I was healing someone. So, ah, thank you.”_

_Nico blinked, unsure of how to reply._

_“Will!” A girl across the road was waving at them, while those that could were carrying the injured on stretchers._

_“Duty calls. See you around, Nico.”_

* * *

“Nico?”

“Will”, he breathed out the name. Let it roll off his tongue like it was the first time he’d ever greeted his friend.

A smile so bright that it outshone the rising sun lit Will’s face. The next thing Nico knew he was being tackled, long arms wrapping him in a tight hug.

Will’s breath ghosted past his ear. “Thank the gods.”

He hesitantly returned the hug, which only prompted Will to squeeze tighter. However, Nico realized with a flutter of skeletal butterflies in his stomach that he didn’t mind. He relaxed deeper into the warm embrace and rested his head against Will’s shoulder.

* * *

_“You can’t help out a friend? Maybe cut bandages? Bring me a soda or a snack? Or just a simple ‘How’s it going, Will’? You don’t think I could stand to see a friendly face?”_

_“What…my face?”_

_Will’s expression had been very unimpressed. “You’re so dense.”_

* * *

Nico blinked and was suddenly glad Will couldn’t see his quickly reddening face. Because in hindsight that sounded an awful lot like Will had been trying to flirt with him…

“Ahem, I hope I’m not interrupting.”

They quickly detangled their arms and turned to Hazel. Nico felt his cheeks burning as his sister gave him a smug and knowing smile.

“Hazel! You shouldn’t move around too much”, Will said, snapping right into medic mode, “Let me check your wound. You might need more ambrosia.”

As Will retrieved his first aid kit and passed a small cut of ambrosia to Hazel, Nico looked around the ship. The first thing that drew his attention was the disgruntled pigs meandering on the bottom deck.

“Why and how are pigs here?”

Hazel squinted her eyes at them. “It’s a spell. A pig bomb?”

“Yeah, gift from Lou Ellen”, Will said.

Nico stared the son of Apollo. “You turned _Blackbeard_ into a pig. I’m impressed.”

Red spread across Will’s cheeks and reached even the tips of his ears. He quickly glanced back out over the sea toward the very edges of land visible on the distant horizon.    

“So any chance y’all’s time on the Argo taught you how to steer a boat?”

“I can’t steer a boat but I have it handled”, Hazel said with a smirk and pointed.

Both boys looked to see a blur rushing toward them across the waves. As it approached, Nico realized it was a horse. A horse fast enough to run across the water. Arion was also pulling a golden chariot that gleamed in the morning rays. In a smooth motion, Arion leaped over the ship rails and came to a stop on the lower deck.

Hazel practically flew down the stairs to greet her equine friend.

“Arion!”

She hugged his head as the horse nuzzled her. One of the pirate pigs waddled up and oinked aggressively. Arion huffed and gave it a warning kick. All the pigs then backed away.

Nico and Will went to get the vase of Lethe water and carried it down (Will also reclaiming his ski-jacket). Once they’d secured it in the chariot, Nico turned to Hazel.

“We’re not all going to fit on there.”

“I’ll be riding Arion.”

“Are you sure?” Will asked. “You’re still recovering. If you get dizzy…”

Arion stomped the deck and gave him a look that clearly said something along the lines of: how dare you imply I’d let Hazel fall off me!

Will glanced at Nico as if he might be able to convince Hazel otherwise. Nico shrugged, knowing full well Hazel couldn’t be stopped. Plus he’d seen Arion in action before. His sister was in good hooves.  

“Okay. Hazel rides the horse.”

Will insisted on at least helping Hazel mount. Nico just sat back and watched in amusement as the son of Apollo mother henned someone else for once. Once Hazel was settled, the boys got in the chariot. Between the large vase and them, it was a little cramped. Nico was very aware that they were brushed up against each other.

Then Arion took a running leap over the ship rails and bolted across the water. The sudden speed would have flung them off if they hadn’t braced for it.

Soon the water became nothing but a deep blue blur. The wind gusting in his ears made it impossible to hear anything else. For all intents and purposes, Nico was left alone with his jigsaw memories and his weary thoughts.

It was the wind that brought back his recollection of Zephyrus, Eros, and most importantly Jason Grace.

_“Yeah, okay. But, Nico, you do choose how to live your life. You want to trust somebody? Maybe take a risk that I’m really your friend and I’ll accept you. It’s better than hiding.”_

He really had been running and hiding from everything. It had taken the combination of Jason, Reyna, and Will hammering it into his head that there was another option for him.

Up ahead of him, cinnamon brown curls bounced with the movement of the horse.

“Not everything”, he whispered. Because no matter what he had said about staying away from both camps forever, he would have visited Hazel. Even if his half-baked idea was to stay in Pluto’s temple and not let anyone else know he was there, he would have still visited her.

Something between a gasp and a whimper vibrated in the back of Nico’s throat. It stuck him like lightning that he’d almost lost Hazel. He’d felt her life start to flicker out! Just like when Bianca-

Panic jolted through him as an iron grip constricted around his lungs. He couldn’t breathe. He needed- He wasn’t even sure what he needed. He needed a way out. He needed to hug Hazel and never let go. He needed the shadows-

A hand lightly touched his shoulder but that was enough to make him flinch. Nico spun his head to face Will. He quickly removed his hand, letting it hover cautiously over Nico’s shoulder. Will was saying something then but Nico couldn’t hear him over the rush of air and the fuzzy feeling in his ears.

_You want to trust somebody?_

Before he realized what he was doing, Nico grabbed ahold of Will’s sleeve. Will took it as the invitation it was and wrapped Nico in another hug. If the one earlier was warm, then this hug was like basking in the sunlight on a spring morning. Nico buried his head against Will’s chest, while the son of Apollo rubbed calming circles on his back.

Eventually his breathing evened out. Nico pulled away but didn’t mind that Will’s hand stayed pressed between his shoulder blades.

The sun continued its path across the sky as they traveled south. They soon reached land, where forests and mountains blurred by. A few hours and sore legs later, the walled city and hilltop temples of New Rome came into view.

Arion slowed before stopping in right in front of Camp Jupiter. A couple legionaries stared at them a moment before running off, presuming to tell Frank and Reyna of their return.

Nico and Will had barely gotten off the chariot when the Roman praetors arrived. All four of them made a bee-line for Hazel, who had yet to move from her seat atop Arion.

“She’s just asleep”, Will said, “Your medics should check over her again. She’ll need to take it easy for a while.”

Frank carefully pulled Hazel down from Arion and cradled her princess-style. She looked so tiny being held like that. Nico reached over and brushed a stray curl from her face before nodding at Frank. He then turned to Will.

“You’re going to the infirmary too, Solace.”

“What?”

Nico glared. “Did you think I wouldn’t notice that you nearly _burnt_ yourself out?”

The words tasted like ash on his tongue. Nico hated it but he couldn’t even be properly angry at Will because he had risked his life to save Hazel.

“I ate some ambrosia. I’ll be fine as long as I don’t do any healing for a few days.”

“I will get the doctors here to order you on bedrest if I have to.”

Will held his hands up in mock defeat. “Okay, Okay.”

After Frank and Will walked off toward the infirmary building, Reyna paused from the task of unharnessing Arion from the chariot.  

“You really like him.”

“Yeah.”

She nodded and then patted Arion. “I sent some legionaries to get gold for Arion.”

The horse neighed in approval.

“Hazel will appreciate you caring for him.”

Reyna gave Nico a soft look that most the Twelfth Legion would consider uncharacteristic.

“Do you want to talk about the quest?”

He shook his head as he replied, “Not yet. It’s too fresh. I still need to sort out my…some things out.”

“Just let me know when you’re ready.”

“Thanks, Reyna.” Nico paused for a minute. “But you might want to know that Blackbeard has been turned into a pig and is stuck on a boat between British Columbia and Alaska.”

Her eyes went wide before a pleased smirk settled on her lips. “That is a story I want to hear in full later.”

* * *

Two days later, bright and early (Will’s fault, the incurable morning person that he was), found Nico and Will preparing to leave in yet another car supplied by Camp Jupiter. Jules-Albert was already sitting in the driver’s seat, while Frank and Dakota loaded up the sealed vase of Lethe water in the trunk. Reyna and Will stood off to the side as Nico and Hazel exchanged a tight hug.

“This wasn’t how I expected to spend Christmas but if you ignore the insane revenge plot, it was nice”, Nico said and then kissed his sister’s cheek.

“Yeah.” Hazel pulled away and looked him in the eyes. “Nico, could you tell our father that I want the room.”

Nico smiled. “There’s an empty room across the hall from mine.”

“Perfect.”

Reyna stepped up to hug him next. “Have a safe trip.”

“We’ll try.”

“I hope so”, Will added, “I’m tired of monster attacks.”

“It wasn’t that bad.”

Will’s reply was dripping in sarcasm, “We _only_ fought werewolves, gryphons, an ancient cursed teardrop, pirates, and a very unfriendly son of Zeus.”

Nico smirked at him. “You're forgetting that one dracanae.”

Will playfully elbowed him, while both Hazel and Reyna gave him that knowing look. Nico was getting really fed up with that particular look. Yes, he got it, all his friends knew about his feelings for Will. Could they stop reminding him of that every single time Will was within a few feet?

Frank was the last to say goodbye to Nico, briefly clasping a hand on the son of Hades’ shoulder. Then Nico and Will slid into the backseat of the car.

“So Los Angeles and then what?” Will asked as he buckled his seatbelt, “I’m guessing flying back to New York isn’t a good idea.”

“I’d rather not test if Zeus is feeling generous enough to let a child of Hades fly. I do know a way to get us from Los Angeles to New York City quickly but we don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

Will raised an eyebrow. “Why wouldn’t I want to?”

“We could take a shortcut through the Underworld. The Door of Orpheus is in Central Park. You could open it for us.”

Will was quiet for a moment before replying, “I’m not sure I could. Music isn’t my strong point.”

Nico rolled his eyes. “Grover was able to open them. And you can sing better than Grover can play those pipes. You’ll be able to open it.”

“If you think so, then okay.”

Nico stared at him like he had grown a second head. “Wait, really? But that means you have to come with me into the Underworld.”

“The key right there is ‘with you’. The place can’t be that scary if I’m literally the guest of the son of Hades, who is on official Hades given business.” He grinned then, “Plus my siblings will be so jealous when they find out I got to open the Door of Orpheus.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> #Apollo Kid Priorities


	14. Alive On Arrival (Will)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Careful, godling. It’s rare for you living folk to make it out of the Underworld.”
> 
> “He’s with me”, Nico hissed.
> 
> Charon’s smile made Will nervous. “Perhaps that’s the danger.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had originally planned for the Underworld trip to be one chapter but it got longer than excepted so I decided to split it into two. 
> 
> Also warning for Shakespearean sexual innuendo (and special thanks to OMGitsgreen for doing her best Shakespeare impression so that this was possible).

The drive from San Francisco to Los Angeles took the better part of the day. Nico fell back asleep for the first two hours. The son of Hades looked so peaceful and relaxed curled up in the backseat. His long, dark lashes rested against pale skin. His lips were an inviting shade of faded red.

Will mentally slapped himself and looked out the window.

A few hundred miles and a couple rest stops later, Jules-Albert pulled into an empty parking lot in downtown L.A. Will happily scrambled out of the car and stretched his limbs before turning his attention the grey and sleek building labeled DOA Recording Studios.

“Well”, Will said, “That’s one way to disguise the entrance to the Underworld.”

It hard to say whether it was because his dad was the god of music or because he’d spent time in a few as a young child thanks to his mom’s work but Will had always felt comfortable in recording studios. However, DOA Recording Studios did not give him any warm nostalgic feelings.

Nico stepped up beside him, while two zombies retrieved the vase of Lethe water from the car.

“Still up for this?”

Will took a breath and deliberately ignored the way his muscles were tensing up as his primal ‘how to stay alive’ instincts screamed at him to run in the opposite direction.

“Yeah.”  

Nico gave him a long look, his irises nearly colorless. The son of Hades then nodded once before walking into the building with the zombies trailing behind him. Will quickly followed after.

The inside was even bleaker than the outside. The foggy figures of the deceased filled the lounge. Some were sitting silently on black leather seats. Others cried and wailed that they couldn’t be dead, that it was a mistake. A few stared at the living interlopers with malice and envy in their eyes; however, those ghosts retreated farther into the crowd when Nico’s gaze passed over them. None of them dared approach the son of Hades and thus Will.

Amidst all that the instrumental of ‘The Girl from Ipanema’ played softly from speakers overhead. Will supposed nothing was quite as infernal as elevator music.  

“Nico di Angelo, welcome back. Lord Hades is expecting you”, a tall man greeted from the podium.  He wore tortoise-shell shades, a nice suit, and a silver nametag reading ‘Charon’.

“I suppose you’re going to ask me to convince my father to give you a raise.”

“If I keep asking, he’ll eventually cave in.”

Charon looked at Will then. Even with the sunglasses hiding his eyes, the son of Apollo felt like Charon was peering into his soul. Will couldn’t help but fidget beneath a stare like that.    

“Careful, godling. It’s rare for you living folk to make it out of the Underworld.”

“He’s with me”, Nico hissed.

Charon’s smile did not help Will nerves. “Perhaps that’s the danger.”

Charon stepped down from his podium and walked them to the elevator. Once again the ghosts waiting to cross the River Styx edged a respectful distance away from Nico.

“I have to say, kid, the dead are better behaved when you’re around”, Charon said as he swiped a keycard.  

The elevator lurched as it began the descent. There was that feeling of all the blood rushing to his head. Mist drifted at the edges of his vision as the motion shifted from downwards to forwards.

Then there was a sudden void, a gaping absence in the back of Will’s mind. It didn’t matter what time it was or what the weather was like. Without fail, all children of Apollo intuitively knew the placement of the sun at any given time. Now Will couldn’t sense the sun at all.

The strange sensation of being so cut off from the source of his powers caused him to stumble. However, a solid ( _alive_ ) hand steadied him.

“Are you okay?” Nico asked in a low voice.

“Y-yeah. Just disoriented.”

Will blinked and realized that the elevator had become a boat. Charon was now cloaked in a hooded rope that brought to mind images of the grim reaper. He steered them through the river with practiced ease. Grey fog rolled across dark waves. Trash floated down the Styx, the pungent smell making Will grimace. Far above them was the cavern roof, as dark as a night without moon or stars; stalagmites hanging down like funnel clouds during a storm.

Soon enough the boat reached the far shore. They stepped off the ferry, Charon calling out a reminder to talk to Hades about that pay raise. However, Will was preoccupied with his first impression of the Underworld. Everything seemed black: the black waters, black sand, and shadowy rampart that could only be the Walls of Erebus.  

“This place looks like your wardrobe.”

Nico glared at him on principle but his lips twitched back a smile.

“Take the vase to the River Lethe and pour the water back in”, he ordered his zombie lackeys before turning back to Will, “Unfortunately my dad wants to see me so we can’t just leave now.”

Will threw an arm around Nico’s shoulders. “No point drawing it out. The sooner we go see him, the sooner we can leave.”

“Don’t smile like that down here. It’s weird”, Nico muttered and ducked out of his grasp. “Come on, I might as well give you the grand tour.”  

They walked across the dark sands toward the gates. There Cerberus stood guard. Cerberus was like a Rottweiler, if Rottweilers had three heads and were as big as a building. The monstrous dog sniffed the air as they approached, a low rumble sounding from the back of its throats. Will may have positioned himself behind Nico at that point.

“Hey there, Cerberus”, Nico called in that voice peopled used when baby-talking adorable animals.

One of Cerberus’s heads barked as its tail started wagging.

“Sit.” Cerberus obeyed instantly. The left head’s tongue hung from its mouth, saliva dripping to the ground.  “Good boy! You want a bone? I bet you want a bone!”

All the heads barked and the tail wagging sped up. Nico grinned as he summoned femurs right from the ground and tossed them to Cerberus, one for each head. The giant dog happily chewed on its treats as they passed under the gates.

“That was-”

“Don’t you dare say it.”

“The cutest thing I’ve ever seen you do.”

Nico groaned and rolled his eyes.

Up ahead was a crowd of ghosts splitting into two lines. Nico pointed to the longer line. “That’s EZ line. Neutral souls can skip Judgement and go straight to the Fields of Ashpodel.”

There was something to be said about seeing Nico in the Underworld. His Stygian sword was always pitch-black but here it seemed to be a shadow made solid. A faint smirk danced on Nico’s lips, while his eyes spoke of knowledge and experience. He walked with open confidence, power humming from the son of Hades without him even trying. The Underworld was a kingdom; and, even the ground they walked on owed respect to its dark prince.  

That wasn’t even an attempt to be poetic. It was a simple fact that Will was only now comprehending.

As they traveled farther down the path, a large black tent with more ghosts lined up to go in came into view.

“The Judgement Pavilion?”

“Yeah.” Nico frowned as the air around them dropped a few degrees. “The Judges are rotating out.”

There were three ghosts drifting toward the tent but apart from the line. One was an ancient Greek man with beard and a crown circlet; from Nico’s reaction, Will guessed that was King Minos. The second was obviously Thomas Jefferson, while the third was…

“Holy Hesta, that’s _Shakespeare_!”

His exclamation got the Judges attention. Minos caught sight of Nico and glared. The son of Hades glared right back. Something unspoken passed through the tension. Then Minos snapped his eyes away and continued on, leaving his colleagues behind.

Will didn’t have much time to think on that because Shakespeare was approaching them.

“What a rare sight to see a still living kinsman.”

“Perk of helping the children of Hades with a quest”, Will said as he motioned to Nico.  

“I see.”

There was a mischievous glint in his ghostly eyes and a conniving smile that was identical to Austin’s when he was about to tell a particularly impressive 'that's what she said’ joke. Will suddenly knew what was about to happen but – like watching a train wreck – there was no hope of stopping it. Shakespeare cleared his throat and went into an impromptu.  

“Oh happy son, to bear the weight of Hades,

               And so this must be nothing, nothing—yes.

               You will become under the press a shade,

               crying to the air; which, for vacancy,

               it will fill the gap in pious nature.”

Nico stared blankly at the Bard. “Sorry, I don’t speak theater or whatever.”

Thank the gods for that, Will thought as his face burned as hot as the Phlegethon River. He wanted to sink into the ground. Or maybe sprinkle a few drops of Lethe on his head so he could forget those implications.

“It was really great meeting the most famous of my siblings but we really should be going, right Nico?” He said in a rush and practically pushed the son of Hades onward.

Shakespeare winked at him before disappearing into the Judgement tent.

“What in Hades was that about?”

“…You know, considering we are in Hades, that figure of speech is literal.”

“You’re ignoring the question.”

“Siblings are embarrassing. Apparently even if you’ve never met them before because they died centuries ago.”

Will prayed that Nico didn’t ask him to explain the joke. Thankfully at least one god was listening because Nico just nodded in understanding.

They walked on around the edge of Asphodel. It was a sprawling field of grey with ghosts upon ghosts pressed together like sardines in a tin. It seemed incredibly boring and a little sad.

In contrast, Elysium shone in the distance on the other side of the path. It was the only place down here with golden light. Amidst the echoing sounds of celebration, Will thought he could just make out the Lee and Michael’s singing. He could almost hear the laughter of his fallen cabinmates and friends.

“They’re there”, Nico said, “All the demigods that fought against Kronos and Gaia were granted Elysium.”

“That’s good to know.” He wiped away the unshed tears in his eyes and took another step forward.    

The dull grey of the Ashpodel Fields soon faded, while up ahead of them was a towering castle of obsidian. Will realized that they must be entering Persephone’s garden.

The garden was beautiful in a creepy sort of way. It was more mushrooms, moss, and plants that luminesced an otherworldly bluish-green than anything Will recognized. The few plants he did know were poisonous. Gemstones clumped together like flowers; and, stone statues bearing terrified expressions decorated the garden. In the center of it all was an orchard of pomegranate trees. Their sickly sweet smell saturated the air. The orange blooms were a splash of eerie brightness in this otherwise dim realm, while the ripe fruit hung tantalizingly low.

Will was shocked and horrified by how his fingers itched to pluck one. Before he could stop himself, his hand reached up for the nearest pomegranate. His fingertips brushed against its skin. All he could think about was how he wanted to bite into it and taste the tart sweetness.

“Don’t!”

Ice cold fingers suddenly gripped Will’s wrist and drew his hand away from the fruit. Nico’s eyes were wide with worry and mouth pulled into a tight frown.

“I didn’t mean to…” Will shook his head, breaking out of the strange trance. “Thanks.”

Nico kept a tight grip on Will’s wrist as they continued through the orchard. He was apparently worried Will might fall back into the trees’ lure. Will was perfectly content with that because he wasn’t entirely he wouldn’t. Plus Will doubted he’d ever have an issue with Nico initiating physical contact with him.  

A ripe pomegranate fell from its branch and onto the path in front of them. Nico regarded it with a clear look of revulsion and then kicked it away.

“Didn’t Hazel say you liked pomegranates?” Will asked.

“I still like the flavor but after being in that jar the thought of eating the fruit, especially _these_ pomegranates, makes me feel sick.”

“So you’ll drink the juice but can’t stand the fruit?”

“Yeah.”

They finally left the trees and their intoxicating smell behind. The obsidian palace of Hades stood directly before them. Grisly images of death and destruction were carved into the stone. Skeleton warriors in a mix of uniforms from different eras guarded the tall, looming doors.

Nico naturally walked in like he owned the place.


	15. Fell In Love With A Ghost (Will)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So much for being smooth but the genuine smile on Nico’s face was worth it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This has been a fun ride but now all that's left is a (probably short) epilogue. Also you can blame Green for the choice in door opening song.

Will trailed behind Nico as they walked down the halls of the palace, their footfalls softly padding against the bronze floor. The interior was much like the exterior: dark stone walls with gruesome images displayed. They reached another set of doors, just as impressive as the ones they first entered. Nico paused right into front of them. A second later they swung open by themselves.

It was clear the moment they walked in that this was the throne room. Sitting atop his throne of skulls was Hades. His clothing was dark, faces similar to The Scream painting shifting within the folds. He was a ghastly pale; and, his eyes were pure black. An almost tangible aura of death and fear-inducing madness radiated from him.

Despite that Will wasn’t afraid. He should have been intimidated by meeting the Lord of the Underworld face-to-face. However, it was really hard to be scared when the god was looking at his son with a barely held back smile. The expression was so reminiscent of Nico when he didn’t want to admit he was happy that it ruined the whole intimidation factor.

Plus all the stories about Hades implied he was a generally fair-minded god (when not spurned on by some long held grudge). Will figured he’d earned a little leniency at this point.

Beside Hades was his Queen, her throne wrapped in ivy and flowers. Persephone’s long hair drifted about despite the utter lack of breeze. She wore a dress that perhaps been multi-colored and bright but was now faded, the vibrant colors washed out into a frosty white. Her eyes were like dark soil that had been iced over. Those eyes were unreadable as she stared at both her step-son and Will.

“Dad”, Nico greeted as he approached his father’s throne.  

“Nico.” Hades stood up and placed a hand on his son’s shoulder. “I…misjudged the situation and because of that you and your sister were endangered. You two did well to return the Lethe water and capture Pirithous.”

Hades’ eyes flared with purple flames when he voiced the name. Wrath like only a god could manage saturated the room. Though the anger was in no way directed at him, Will’s legs trembled (he quickly took back what he thought about Hades being not-scary). Even the skeletons guarding the doors shifted in agitation. Only Persephone and Nico seemed unaffected.

“I will deal his punishment _personally_.”

Will had no issues with having witnessed Pirithous pulled down into the Underworld but he did not want to hear the details of the ancient king’s punishment. Somethings were just too nightmarish.

“I’m glad that foolish mortal is back where he belongs”, Persephone said, her tone as icy as winter, “His hubris ever thinking he could kidnap me.”

Will thought that was a little ironic considering how she ended up married to the Lord of the Underworld. However, voicing said thought was probably a very bad idea so he kept silent.

“Yes, it would be a very bad idea.”

Will felt the blood drain from his face.

“It’s alright, young demigod. My mother’s version of the event is the most well-known.” Persephone smiled thinly. “Plus you interest me”

That was perhaps the scariest thing he’d heard while in the Underworld.

Nico’s voice was tense, “Persephone…”

“Don’t fret, boy. It is a sincere compliment for your friend.”

The way she said ‘friend’ made Will gulp. There was suddenly no doubt in his mind that the goddess knew that he’d nearly eaten one of her pomegranates; and, standing before the Queen of the Underworld, the reason behind his temptation seemed obvious.

The seconds stretched out. Will got the feeling he was supposed to say something…

“Thanks?” It came out as a squeak. For the love of Olympus, this was just getting more and more embarrassing.

Persephone looked at him with a vaguely amused expression.

“Dear, leave Nico’s friend alone. The son of Apollo has earned my goodwill.” Hades then turned his full attention to Will for the first time since they’d entered the throne room. “For assisting my children, I’ll grant you one boon.”

He didn’t even need to think about it. The question fell from his mouth. “Do…Do you know what happened to my father? What his punishment is?”

“Anything I could possibly grant you and that is what you request?”

When Will nodded, a glimmer of something (pity? respect? he had no idea) shone in Hades’ dark eyes.

“I’m afraid my answer will disappoint you. Zeus is waiting for the opportune time for Apollo’s punishment. It will come soon, perhaps sooner than we think. There are movements in the shadows that must be illuminated.”

Nico rolled his eyes and gave Hades the patented teenager look that translated to: seriously, dad?

“Oh”, Will sighed as his shoulders slumped. It wasn’t really an answer but for whatever reason Hades either wouldn’t or couldn’t tell him more.

“If that is all, you two may return to Camp.”

“There is one more thing”, Nico said, “Hazel wants the room across from mine.”

Hades’ eyes flickered from black to gold for the briefest of moments. His expression softened by the tiniest amount, making him look about as sentimental as the Lord of the Underworld possibly could.  

“I’ll have it prepared for her.”

Nico nodded with a small smile on his lips. Hades patted his son’s shoulder once more, in a way that was a dismissal. Nico called out his goodbyes; and, then they left the palace.

When the sweet scent of pomegranates once again reached their noses, Nico grabbed Will’s hand. The contact sent a pleasant shock across his skin. Though the temptation still whispered in the back of his mind, this time it was easier to ignore the orchard. Perhaps because he knew what to expect and was able mentally prepare for it.

They left Persephone’s orchard and began walking back through the grey fields of Asphodel. Nico hadn’t let go of his hand yet.

Soon they were passing the far side of the Judgement Pavilion, echoing screams could be heard from the Fields of Punishment. Nico looked thoughtful as he gazed over the distant fires and other sights of torture (that Will was purposely not paying attention to).  

“I just remembered how much I want to punch Leo”, Nico said after a moment.

“Should I be worried the Fields of Punishment reminded you of that?”

Nico grinned in that slightly manic way of his that caused demigods and monsters alike to think twice about crossing him. Will felt sorry for Leo whenever he managed to return.  

They continued on past Cerberus, who had curled up to take a nap after chewing on the bones. They passed under the gates and reached the black shore of the Styx. At that point Nico led him to the side, walking along the Walls of Erebus. Eventually they reached the cavern wall and a tunnel that was strangely smooth like it was man-made instead of natural.

“This is the path Orpheus created with his music”, Nico said.

Will peered inside the tunnel but couldn’t see more than a few feet before it became pitch-black.  

“I really need to add a flashlight in with my first aid kit.”

Nico shrugged, not the least bit bothered by the idea of walking through the dark. The son of Hades was at least considerate enough to give Will’s hand an encouraging squeeze as they walked into the tunnel.  

The stone was slick, a bad combination with the darkness. Will’s world narrowed to the sound of their careful footsteps and the feel of Nico’s hand in his. He wasn’t claustrophobic but he was beginning to feel antsy from being down here so long. He desperately missed the warmth of sunlight on his skin.

“You know, I’m a little jealous.” The words slipped out before he even realized it. He felt more than saw Nico’s face scrunch up in confusion. “It’s just…You see Hades a lot. He talks to you. You even have a room in his palace…And I’ve never met my own father. The most I’ve gotten from him is a few birthday cards.”

Will had read the haikus scribbled in those two cards a million times over. The first card he got on his next birthday after being claimed. The second one had come after the Titan War. He hoped to get a third card after the Giant War ended but his birthday had already come and gone. And, well, Apollo wasn’t exactly available. 

“I’d just like to get a chance to talk to him.” His words echoed through the tunnel. There was no bitterness, just hollow longing.

Nico didn’t reply. There wasn’t anything that could be said. No eloquent words to make it better or easier. However, he squeezed Will’s hand again. It was solid and reassuring like a promise.

After what felt like hours, Nico stopped so suddenly that Will almost ran into him.

“What’s wrong?”

“This is the end of the tunnel. We need music to open the doors.”

That was his cue. Will sang the first song that popped into his mind: Mr. Brightside.

“Seriously?” Nico muttered.

Glad the dark hid the flush spreading across his face, Will continued singing. His voice was a little raspy; and, he went off key twice. However, that didn’t seem to matter to the Door of Orpheus. The earth before them slowly spread open. A beam of sunlight shone through the growing crack. The tension coiled in Will’s muscles eased away, while Nico squinted and raised a hand over his eyes.

Once the door was fully opened, they stepped out into Central Park. Nico let go of his hand, which was slightly disappointing. While the sun was already warming Will’s skin, the Underworld chill still clung to his bones like a reminder of his mortality. He shivered and rubbed his arms. Nico glanced at him, frowning.

“Let’s get hot chocolate or something before heading back to Camp.”

His heart skipped a beat. “Why?”

“It helps. Having something warm after being in the Underworld.”

“Oh, okay”, Will sighed.

For a second that sounded almost like a… He didn’t let himself finish the thought. After all Nico just went through, that was probably the last thing on the son of Hades’ mind.

They walked through Central Park, just two more people bustling through the busy city. Nico seemed to have a particular place in mind so Will just followed along. About half a block away from the park there was a café sign that made Will do a double-take.

“The Nectar Café?”

“It’s owned by a daughter of Hebe. Back when I wasn’t staying anywhere, I ate here a couple of times.”

Will nodded as they walked inside. The café had a cozy feel to it. The warm hues of the décor and music playing in the background made him feel immediately at ease.

“So you’re not dead”, the barista – a woman whose age was hard to guess – called out when she spotted them.

Nico stared blankly. He apparently hadn’t expected the woman to care whether he was alive or not. Will shook his head and nudged the son of Hades, prompting him to answer.

“I’ve been at Camp.”

“Good. Your special then?”

He blinked, mild confusion crossing his face. Will got the impression that Nico was trying to remember what his special was.

“Sure.” Nico shrugged after a moment. “Thanks.”

The barista then looked at Will. “What about you?”

“Hot chocolate please”, he replied.

While she got to work making their drinks, Will excused himself to the restroom. He came out a few minutes later, softly humming along with the song on the radio. Nico had claimed a comfy looking chair and seemed about ready to pass out. Will collapsed in the seat next to him before grabbing what he assumed was his drink.

He quickly discovered that it wasn’t hot chocolate.

It was some sort of tea with a fruity sweet yet bitter-tart flavor.

Will sat the drink back down and looked at Nico. The son of Hades was staring at him with an unreadable expression. Then an impish smirk slowly slid across his face.

“It’s a good thing that wasn’t made with Underworld pomegranates. But you owe me a date now.”

Oh. That was pomegranate tea.

Wait. He said date? Nico di Angelo just said date. Nico di Angelo just asked him – Will Solace – on a date.

Okay, Will told himself even as his stomach did excited blackflips, play this smooth.

“Rules are rules, I suppose.”

Nico glanced away. “I was kidding. It’s not a real rule. You don’t have to.”

Will cringed. Nico had taken his reply the wrong way and was backpedaling. He had to fix this quick!

Will reached forward and caught Nico’s hand. “I want to!”

So much for being smooth but the genuine smile on Nico’s face was worth it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Roughly one month later)  
> Apollo: So how did you two start dating?  
> Nico: We took a shortcut through the Underworld and then he accidently ate pomegranates.  
> Apollo: ….  
> Will: That sounds way worse than what actually happened. We really need to have another talk about your people skills, Nico.


	16. Epilogue of a Quest (Hazel)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “O Fleecy, do me a solid. Show me my brother, Nico.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For such a something so short to wrap up this story, it took me forever to write it. A bad combo of me not feeling well and having to double down on my thesis work to meet deadlines struck. But I finally completed this!

The drachma passed through the rainbow and clutched onto the floor. Hazel huffed in annoyance and held out her hand. The coin flew up from the ground and landed back into her open palm. She then turned to the praetors standing across from her.

“Am I doing it wrong?”

Reyna shook her head. “I don’t think so.”

“Maybe try Fleecy’s direct line?” Frank suggested.

Hazel nodded, figuring there was nothing to lose. At this point anything was worth a try. Frank held up the prism to the lamp again so that another rainbow shimmered across the room.

“O Fleecy, do me a solid. Show me my brother, Nico.”

The drachma was tossed for the third time. And for the third time it dropped through the rainbow and hit the floor with a clink.

“Maybe something is wrong with Iris”, Frank said with a deepening frown.

Hazel didn’t like the idea of that either. The goddess Iris had helped them and Percy on their quest to free Thanatos.

“Have you had any luck with emailing Camp Half-Blood?”

“I’ve tried the email Chiron gave us but there’s been no response”, Reyna replied.

Hazel sighed and collapsed into the chair.

“I know he’s alive.” Because, as children of the Underworld, there was no way she wouldn’t know if something had happened to her brother. “But Nico promised to Iris message when he got back to Camp Half-Blood. It’s been a week now and we haven’t heard anything.”

A stern yet pensive expression settled on Frank’s brow. It was the type of expression he got whenever the son of Mars started thinking of war strategies.

“Do you think someone’s cutting off communication on purpose?”

“It’s too soon to say”, Reyna answered, “But it’s possible. We never did find out who funded Octavian.”

“And whoever it was probably aren’t happy with the Roman-Greek alliance.”

They all feel quiet for a few minutes. Reyna picked up the drachma from the floor and settled in a chair, while Frank sat down beside Hazel and entwined his fingers with hers.

“Let’s wait a few more days. If we haven’t heard from Nico or Chiron by then, we’ll try something else.”

* * *

Hazel loved the feel of the wind gusting in her ears and the rhythmic motion as Arion cantered. Even at the relatively slow pace, the mountains blurred by. Reyna had taught her a little about pegasus riding but Hazel much preferred the grounding that Arion proved. The daughter of Pluto felt even less welcome in the air than on the water.

Arion snorted and glanced back at her as if saying: _I’m all warmed up. Let’s go._

Hazel grinned in reply, prompting the horse to take off. There was a loud boom that signaled just how fast they were going.

It would be so easy to ride Arion across country, Hazel thought as the scenery shifted from mountainous to rusted desert. It’d only take a few hours and then she could finally find out what was going on. It was a tempting idea.

However, in about an hour she had to help Dakota with the Fifth Cohort’s training. She couldn’t just leave without notice, especially when she’d only been back for a week.

Arion galloped a few more minutes before looping around back toward the mountains that hid New Rome. Not long after they came to a still in the Garden of Bacchus. A few people gave her odd looks but most ignored their arrival. A little kid on a picnic with their family seemed in awe of Arion; the horse snickered as if saying that was the natural reaction.

Hazel dismounted and waved back before drawing forth gold from the ground. Arion neighed in thanks and greedily ate his snack. Once the gold was gone, Arion nuzzled Hazel and then trotted off to wherever he felt like going. Hazel knew that he’d be back the second she needed him.

The daughter of Pluto walked through the garden toward the shrines and temples. Her father’s temple stood untouched as it was when she’d last appeared in it as a spirit. She stepped inside the shadowed room with the intent of offering a prayer. However, the thought as pushed away when she spotted a folded piece of paper setting on the altar.  

Hazel rushed over to grab it. Relief washed over her the moment she opened the letter.

> _Dear Hazel,_
> 
> _Will and I made it safely back to Camp Half Blood. I’ve tried to Iris message you but they’re not going through. We’re having trouble with the internet connection too. I’m not sure if this will work but maybe our Dad can pass this letter along._
> 
> _Because I know you’d ask about it. I went on a date with Will. It was nice, and we’re going on another later this week._
> 
> _Tell Reyna and Frank hi for me. Have fun doing the Twelfth Legion thing._
> 
> _Con affetto,_
> 
> _Nico_

A soft smile lit Hazel’s face. As short as it was, she could practically feel the underlying giddy happiness from her brother’s handwriting. With most the people that Nico was close to away from Camp Half-Blood, she’d been a little worried about her brother. Visiting for Christmas and then going on the quest had alleviated that worry. A large part of that was because of Will.

“Good for you two”, she said to the bones that decorated Pluto’s shrine.

As Hazel neatly folded the letter, she wondered if Pluto would mind passing letters back and forth like this until the regular communication lines were working again. She hoped at least that this wasn’t a onetime deal.   

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve been thrilled by the response this fanfic has received! Thank you all for reading! <3


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